Different (Rewrite)
by Welcome to the New
Summary: Tron: Uprising verse. Mira had followed Flynn into the Grid, only to find herself trapped. After ten long years of hiding out, she's ready to get her revenge on Clu. Only two programs stand in her way though. Beck and Tron. A rewrite from the original. Rated T for obvious reasons. First in the Therapy Session series.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

" _You spend your life in a dream that you can't escape, Cause you live your life in a coma, you're never awake If you'd open your eyes then maybe you'd see what's at stake, You're sleeping, you're sleeping..._ " - Wake Up, NF

* * *

You think life on the Grid was ever easy? You think life was a fairy tale for little kids? Well, I'm here to tell you that you're wrong.

The Grid was anything but a fairy tale. It was a horror story waiting to be told. But with every horror stories, there is a spark of hope. This is my story, the story of how the Revolution began…

…

She wasn't like the programs that called the Grid home. Unlike normal programs who would see her as a weakling, she grew. From a tiny being who had known nothing about the cruel world to who she was now had altered the way she acted.

Her black suit had white and blue circuits that glowed eerily in the never-ending darkness of the Grid. With mousy brown hair and hazel eyes, she looked like any ordinary User. Sticking out in the Grid was not a good thing. Once Clu had taken over, she had to run from city to city. It wasn't safe for her anywhere. In the end, she had chosen to live a secluded life in the Outlands where it might be safer from the black guard.

Every now and then, she would stop by in the nearest city she was visiting. The only way she could do that though was before the curfew started. Black guards were constantly on patrol for strays or programs who broke rules. Getting caught by them would only end in disaster for everyone.

When she had first arrived on the Grid after following Kevin Flynn, she never imagined this was how her life would turn out. Memories of her old life had begun to slip away with each passing cycle. She could hardly remember what her parents looked like, or even the address of the house she had lived in. It was just one of the many costs of living here. Kevin Flynn had never once thought that a User might have followed him into the Grid. Even the mighty Tron, who was supposedly one of the best security programs he could have relied on, hadn't realized she was there.

This time she found herself on the edge of Argon City. Whatever had drawn her here ended up with a bad light cycle that's break needed fixing. A chase from the black guard was the cause behind said ruined break. While she was annoyed with the fact that she had to go to the city in the first place, it gave her the opportunity to explore.

Before Clu had taken over most of the Gird, she spent her time as a young User exploring the cities. She was fascinated with the way programs lived and had often wondered if she could find a job among them. None of the programs took notice of her, though. Most of them had ignored her when she tried asking where she could find a job or a place to live.

While she was grateful that they never once questioned her sudden appearance, it annoyed her to no end as well. Trying to earn a living on the Grid was nearly impossible because of their ignorance. They didn't seem to understand that she was willing to take the time to learn and understand their jobs.

Now, with Clu in power, Mira knew it was pointless to even try asking for a job. Anyone would guess immediately what she was if she stuck around long enough. Users changed so often that it was impossible to avoid getting questioned by anyone who tried hiring her.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed hold of her light staff – her only weapon other than her disk – before heading into the city. Fortunately, Argon city was one of the last cities not occupied by Clu or his soldiers. It gave her the perfect opportunity to slip in and out without being detected by anyone.

A few programs were circling the outer edge of the city, some on light cycles, others on foot. She was wary of the programs along this part of the city. Some of them were part of gangs who would easily take advantage of someone as small as her. Even if they did try ambushing her, she wouldn't make such an easy target. Cycles of living on the Grid had taught her to defend herself from thugs. She wasn't the same weak User Clu had captured cycles ago.

Soon the outskirts were replaced with small buildings and brightly lit street signs. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed there were fewer programs out than usual. The streets were filled with light cycles and trucks delivering goods, but other than that the usual spots were empty. It wasn't until she had reached the illuminated garage that she saw the programs practicing disk games outside. One of the programs had stopped in his tracks when he noticed her standing there.

"Uh… hi," he started, sounding out of breath from dodging his opponent's moves. She had been watching them for a while now, noticing how skilled the spiky haired program was compared to his opponent. He could easily overpower a soldier if he was given the proper training. "Are you looking for help?"

She pulled out her light cycle baton and nodded.

"My break got busted during a race," she explained warily. "Think anyone here can fix it?"

He was about to respond when a disk suddenly flew into his back. She rolled her eyes when the spiky haired program caught the disk as it returned to his waiting hand. On the Grid, programs needed to be prepared for any assault that could happen. While Clu's soldiers didn't attack without hesitation, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Come on, Bodhi. You should know better than to turn your back on your opponent," he said cheekily.

"Well, I guess you have a point there," Bodhi replied with a roll of his eyes after recovering from his friend's assault. "Able's in the garage… it's closed now, but he should be able to help you out. He's never turned down a program in need before."

"Thanks," she called before running over to the garage.

It didn't seem like these programs were influenced by Clu's need for 'perfection'. She knew it wouldn't last long. Clu sought to take over the entire Gird. His first step was overthrowing Flynn. After that, he would destroy the ISOs the Grid had created. She could still remember the horror the ISOs had faced during the war. Only a few of them had survived, and even they weren't safe under his reign of tyranny.

Once she was inside, she noticed that the garage was busy at work, despite having closed only a few nanocycles ago. Some programs were working on light cycles while others were cleaning the floor with a vacuum like device.

"The garage is closed, in case one of my employees outside didn't inform you."

She flinched at the sound of a deep voice, turning around to see an elderly looking dark-skinned program looking at her thoughtfully. His expression was impossible to read as he looked her up and down, as if inspecting an intruder. Unease swept through her at the thought. Technically, she had wandered in uninvited. Bodhi was the one who explained that she would likely receive some kind of help from his boss if she asked.

"I'm sorry… I was told you could fix my light cycle," she explained, suddenly aware of all eyes on her. She hated being put on the spotlight, especially when it meant there was a higher chance of programs figuring out who or what she was. "I was practicing in the Outlands when the breaks malfunctioned."

Well, it was partly true. Her light cycle had malfunctioned in the Outlands when the soldiers chased her all the way from Purgos. She was lucky to have lost them when the snow got too deep for them to follow. But that didn't save her from the bitter cold or the grid bugs that infested the Outlands. She had wandered for cycles through the deep snow and brutal weather until she finally reached the city. By the time she did reach the city, she had been dangerously low on energy. The only reason she managed to survive was because there had been an energy canteen outside the city where she could rest for a while.

"It's dangerous for you young programs to go out like that," he muttered after she rezzed her light cycle to prove her point. "I'll see what I can do."

She nodded her thanks, realizing that he probably wouldn't do anything at all. It wasn't like she had any form of payment. Not being able to work sucked. If she stayed in any place too long programs would begin to notice the subtle changes of her being a User.

She was about to leave when she noticed something flying in the distance towards the city. Her eyes widened in horror when she recognized what the flying objects were. They were strange, rectangular shaped objects with legs on either side called Recognizers. And there were a lot of them, enough for an entire army.

 _Oh, Users no_! Panic was the first thing that came to mind as she realized this was an invasion. If Clu found out she was here, there was no escaping his grasp. She managed to get away once, but he would never let her go a second time.

"Greetings, programs." A voice boomed over the city, rattling her ears as she tried covering them over the noise. "This is General Tesler. In name of our great leader, Clu, I now claim Argon City as occupied territory."

The familiar feeling of everything going from bad to worse only increased when a statue was dropped over the field where the programs had been practicing their disk games. The impact had sent a jolt through the entire city, changing the lights from a calming blue to a sickening orange and red.

A shiver of unease swept through the User as she recalled how many other cities had suffered the same takeover. Generals who were loyal only to Clu were usually sent out to take over cities when programs began showing signs of fighting back. It was one of the many tactics Clu used to ensure that everyone followed his rule. Anyone who suggested otherwise was usually either derezzed or repurposed to his liking.

"Hey, you can't do that!" She cringed at the sound of Bodhi's voice. Big mistake. The guards wouldn't hesitate to derezz him now. Anyone who tried fighting back would suffer the consequences. She had watched too many programs try and fight back, only to watch them derezz nanocycles later. "This is our field."

"This field belongs to Clu, now," the guard snapped in a tone that said he wasn't in the mood for arguments. "No more games."

She couldn't watch as Bodhi tried arguing once again. After having seen this happen several times before, she was all too familiar with the way Clu's soldiers acted. She would never get used to the screams of agony that followed. It would always send a shiver through her, no matter who the victim was.

"Bodhi!"

The cry of his friend told her all she needed to know. She turned to see the elderly program staring at the scene in utter horror.

"I think I'll take my light cycle as it is." Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear. He hesitated for a moment as the programs who were outside began returning to the garage. "I said, I'll take my light cycle as it is," she repeated in a clearer voice.

"It's not safe for you out there," he stated in a firm tone. "Not with General Tesler around."

 _Since when has anyone cared about my safety_? she thought angrily.

Her mind was fumbling around to find a way out of this mess. If he made her stay any longer, it would only end in disaster. He didn't seem to understand the amount of danger he was putting himself and his employees in.

"Look, I don't need some old program's pity," she snapped, snatching her light cycle baton from his hand. "I can take care of myself."

She was on her way out when she bumped into the spiky-haired program from earlier. The mischievous grin on his face was replaced with a look of grief and shock. Bodhi was his best friend. She knew what it was like to lose someone she cared about.

"Watch where you're going," he muttered crossly, shoving his way past her.

The User only glared back at the tone of his voice. She'd endured enough abuse on the Grid to know that he wasn't any different from everyone else. His attitude and the way he pushed her to the side only told her that it wasn't worth fighting back.

"Beck." She froze at the way the older program spoke, in a way that gave him authority over all of the other programs in the garage. "I expect better behavior from you." Beck looked as if he was about to argue when the older program went on, "I want you to keep on eye on her. It's obvious she needs it."

Her eyes widened in disbelief at that.

"Excuse me? The last thing I need is some babysitter, especially a pompous jerk like him," she grumbled under her breath.

"Pompous jerk?" Beck repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Until we get your light cycle fixed, you're stuck here," the older program explained. "So, you can either run around the Grid with a broken light cycle, or wait."

She only glared at him in response. Suddenly, it felt as if she was a five-year-old again, arguing with her parents over the fact that she didn't need a babysitter. Only this time, some old program was telling her what to do. She wasn't sure what was worse.

"Alright, fine," she snapped. "But I'm leaving as soon as my light cycle is fixed."

Beck was not happy with that decision.

"Able, I've got better things to do than watch over some other program," he tried reminding his boss.

"Like what?" she asked with a roll of her eyes. "Not like you'll be going anywhere from now on."

As Beck headed for the elevator, she glanced at Able who gave her a nod. She shrugged and decided it was best to follow Beck. Even if she thought he was a jerk, that didn't mean he should be alone at a time like this.

"So, do you have a name or what?" he asked once they were in the sleeping quarters.

"Nope," she replied with a smirk. "I'm just a nameless program."

She wouldn't give her name out unless she trusted anyone. And that wouldn't likely happen. After the way he acted earlier, she wasn't planning on opening up to him. Not unless he managed to prove himself otherwise.

Beck frowned at that. Despite his curiosity being peeked by her vague response, he didn't try prying for more.

"Well, the sleeping quarters are just to your right," he told her. "You're welcome to find a place to sleep until Able's fixed your light cycle."

"You're not going to let those guards get away with what they did, are you?" she suddenly asked when he started to leave. Beck paused for a moment before looking at her warily. "I know a program on a mission when I see them."

"They're not going to get away with derezzing Bodhi," he replied in a bitter tone.

"Okay then. I want in." Beck eyed her in surprise as she shrugged. "You've got a bone to pick with Clu, and so do I. Might as well have some backup in the process."

"What did he do to you?" Beck asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"He was created."

For so many cycles, she had been terrified of Clu and the power he held over the Grid. If she was stronger and braver, maybe she would have fought him on her own. But things were different than. Now she was older and more experienced.

Beck rose an eyebrow curiously when he noticed how vague she was with her response. She wasn't planning on giving him the full reason behind her hatred towards Clu. The only thing he did need to know was that she wanted in on whatever he was planning.

She had already grabbed her identity disk and changed her disguise from a white and blue suit to one that had very few circuits on it. Once she was finished altering her appearance, the mask slid over her face to conceal her expression. Beck quickly did the same thing, only his suit had one difference. A 'T' symbol on his chest glowed white, a symbol she had only see once many cycles ago.

Beck flashed her a look when he noticed she was staring. Almost immediately she looked away, partly from instinct and mostly from embarrassment.

"You think he's actually alive?" she asked as they made their escape.

"Tron gave us a sense of hope when he was," Beck replied, his mask covering his face once they were outside the garage. He'd grabbed another light cycle baton for her, to which she happily accepted. "Why shouldn't he do that now?"

She could think of many reasons why he shouldn't now. But she kept her mouth shut as they headed for the statue. Arguing with logic wasn't exactly her strongest suit. If fighting in the disguise of a dead program was what he needed for that resolve, then so be it.

* * *

 **AN: So... I know a lot of readers are probably groaning and shouting that this is just another rewrite, but... I've been wanting to do this for a while now. And now that I've found inspiration to, I can :D This version will be mildly different, from the things characters do to the way Mira acts and behaves (you'll really notice in the beginning how much is changed). So please feel free to let me know what you think of this modified version... if you're angry, you're welcome to say that as well :P**


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Climbing up the statue wasn't nearly as difficult as she expected. From one leap to the other, it had only taken them a few nanocycles to reach the neck. She was thankful that she had xilacycles of experience under her belt, otherwise she would have already been out of breathe by the time they reached the neck. The view wasn't all that bad either as she gazed across Argon City. If only it was the same blue and white she had once enjoyed. Orange and red were colors that Mira had begun to hate more than ever.

She was thrown out of her trance when Beck started slicing his disk through the neck. They had to work together to create a deep enough cut that the head would just slide right off. Since the material of the statue was thicker than expected, they both had to use their disks in order to create a cut strong enough to push the head off. Once they managed to do that by using their legs to push it off, Beck pulled out a grenade while peering into the hollow statue.

 _Clu must really be full of himself to build a hollow statue_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes.

Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating Beck's face as he prepared to throw the grenade. Just as he did that, a Recognizer flew by. She ducked to keep herself out of side just when she felt someone grab her by the wrist. It took everything she had not to yelp from the sudden contact as realization dawned on her.

Within seconds they were flying down the statue. Instinct kicked in faster than she thought after she rezzed her light cycle and landed. Once Beck had rezzed his light cycle they were both off, weaving in and out of traffic just as she felt an explosion shake the area. She clung onto the handlebars for dear life, knowing full-well that the black guard wouldn't hesitate to chase them down now.

"Hold on, it looks like we have company," he warned after looking over his shoulder.

She glanced over her shoulder to see that he was right. A light copter was on pursuit along with several light cycles close behind them. Beck was skilled at keeping them at bay. She had to swerve left and right just to avoid getting caught by them. She was suddenly thankful that she had experience riding a light cycle through a bustling city. She'd traveled to enough cities to know when to swerve in and out of traffic, or when to avoid the soldiers.

Luckily, the guards were having a difficult time maneuvering through the alleyway. Here, there were signs and beams hovering in the air. It was like a scene from a movie as she and Beck managed to avoid getting caught. These guards were persistent, though. She knew that if they hadn't had more experience on light cycles, the guards would have easily caught up with them. Most of Clu's soldiers were experienced enough to handle programs who tried fighting back. She quickly learned that on the Grid, experience was everything.

"Jump." Her eyes widened in alarm before she turned her light cycle back into a baton. Just before they were about to crash, Mira's hands caught a handrail that hovered above her, with Beck doing the same. Several guards had flown right past them and collided with the wall in front of them, causing it to collapse from the impact. "Well, that was easy enough," he muttered when the rail suddenly derezzed from their contact. "You okay?"

"Sure, I love getting chased by the black guard every cycle," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

His smirk told her that he had caught the sarcasm dripping in her voice. Well, at least Beck was a program with a sense of humor. After their first encounter in the garage, she wasn't sure what to expect out of him. He had acted cold and brash towards her, though she hadn't been much better. To top it off, he'd just lost who she guessed was his best friend.

They were about to head back when one guard was steadily approaching them. This guard was different though, with a cape woven around her neck and strange looking wings on either side of her helmet. It was obvious that she was a higher ranking guard on Tesler's army. Beck grabbed his disk and suddenly smashed the program's mask with one good kick, breaking it to pieces.

"Now, _that_ was a mistake." The guard threw off of her cape and revealed her face. A pretty female with brown hair that grew over her eye. Not that that didn't deter anyone from their thoughts. The User was all too familiar with how tough Clu's commanders were. "So, you're Tron? I thought you'd be taller." She exchanged an anxious look with Beck as he readied himself for a fight. "Who's your friend? I've never seen you around before."

"And you'll never see me again," she snapped, then she suddenly leaped into the air.

She grabbed hold of the nearest fire escape ladder and climbed to top of the roof of the building behind them. Living on her own gave her a new perspective of figuring out her best escape routes. This incident was no different. Beck was about to do the same thing once he realized what she was up to.

The program that managed to survive and caught up with them was quick though, and she threw her disk at Beck before he could reach the ladder. He whirled around in time to avoid getting derezzed by her disk. The soldier suddenly came running at him with her disk still in hand. She pinned Beck to the ground and held him there for a few nanocycles.

"They don't usually last this long," she crowed before readying the final strike.

The User suddenly threw her own disk and knocked the soldier's disk right out of her hand. She gasped in surprise and glared up at her. Big mistake. Her momentary distraction gave Beck enough time to kick her in the chest and slip away from her grasp.

"Just how long are you going to keep this up?" the soldier asked, clearly annoyed that two inexperienced programs were keeping her at bay.

Though, the User didn't necessarily consider herself inexperienced. She'd lived on the Grid long enough to know how to fight. Being a User meant that she was more vulnerable to the weapons that were often used in a fight. So, she had to learn how to defend herself as a result. That was the only reason she managed to survive for as long as she had.

Glancing up, she noticed that the light copter was approaching the buildings they were hiding between. Beck must have noticed it too. Without a second thought, she raced for the light copter before they could fly out of the way with Beck following suit. There was only one guard flying the light copter, and Beck smashed his face right into the circuit board, causing the control screen to shatter.

"Hang on, this should fix it," he said when she glared at him.

Beck pulled out a tool that gave him access to the light copter's code. Watching him with interest, she realized why he made such a good mechanic. Within nanocycles the control screen was fixed. The soldier from earlier had reached the light copter while they were repairing it. The User grabbed a pair of chutes while Beck kept her distracted. She wasn't planning on sticking around long enough for them to catch her. After seeing how skilled the soldier was, she had no doubt that this fight wouldn't end well for either side.

"We could use someone like you on the team," the soldier said before knocking Beck over.

Despite her obvious annoyance towards him, she also sounded impressed. The User nearly rolled her eyes at the thought of what would happen if he was caught. They would more than likely repurpose him, and that was a fate worse than getting derezzed. She had seen many programs who had been repurposed. The end results were usually disastrous for anyone close to said program if they were repurposed to Clu's liking.

"I don't like your boss," he shot back just as she tossed him a chute. She had already strapped hers on while Beck was fending off the soldier. "I hope you know how to land this thing."

She jumped before the soldier could make a response, followed by Beck. A rush of cold air immediately blasted against her face. Panic flashed through her when she realized her chute wasn't working. Beck managed to pull his chute open, but hers refused to budge. She flinched when she felt his arms wrap around her just before they both hit the Outlands down below. Her teeth ground together when they started rolling against the snow, finally stopping after what felt like cycles.

Contact from another program was _not_ something she had anticipated. She didn't trust anyone for a reason. Luckily, Beck had released his grip on her once they'd landed. Her shoulders sagged in relief as she stood up, dusting off the snow covering her suit.

"Back in the alley, you said that soldier wouldn't see you again," Beck said in an accusing tone once they were both standing.

She glanced at him warily before letting out an irritated sigh. She never planned on explaining why she couldn't stay in one city for too long. Programs never knew what it was like to be a User in a world where they weren't accepted. Growing up meant that programs would figure out what she was, and that would only end in disaster. The less they knew about her true heritage, the better off everyone was. She didn't want programs to suffer the same consequences she did if they tried fighting for her, or if they ever got caught in her messes.

"I don't plan on staying here," she muttered. "If I stay in one place for too long, it gets dicey. It's better this way…"

She hadn't missed the look of sympathy flashing in Beck's eyes. Programs weren't supposed to feel emotions. At least, that was what she had thought. But seeing the way Beck had acted around Bodhi and the soldier made her realize she was wrong. There were times when she was constantly reminded of how naive she was of this world. Programs acted so differently from Users, yet she had lived on the Grid for most of her life that they were beginning to become her new sense of normalcy.

"That must be lonely," he said thoughtfully.

She only shrugged dismissively. She didn't expect him to understand why she needed to keep moving from city to city. As a program, he had no idea just how much effort was needed to keep Clu from finding out where she was.

"At least it means I'll survive."

Beck was about to reply when a Recognizer flew by. She ducked under a bank of snow before it reached them. She had no doubt that Tesler had the entire city on lock down until they were caught. She noticed there were several vehicles in a crater nearby. Whether this was a gift from the occupation, or someone else, she wasn't sure. She was just thankful they didn't need to return on foot. Argon City was still another cycle away from where they were. She wasn't in any hurry to see how long it would take for the elements to overtake them, or worse.

"Thanks, Bodhi," Beck murmured once he reached an all wheel drive cycle.

She thought back to how friendly Bodhi had been when they first met. He seemed like the kind of program anyone could be friends with. But he'd made a mistake that cost him his life. She knew Beck would eventually get over his death. Taking his anger out on the occupation was risky and foolish.

 _I've been on the run for so long_ , she thought bitterly. _And now I'll have to go once again_.

They rode through the snow in silence once Beck had repaired the vehicle. She was thinking of how Able trusted her enough to let her stay in the garage until her light cycle was fixed. Not for the first time, his actions had surprised her. There weren't many programs who openly offered her help once they figured out what she was. While Able hadn't reached that conclusion, it was obvious that he cared enough to see that something was wrong with her.

She hadn't meant too many programs who felt the same way. Most of the time, they usually ignored her presence entirely. She was normally fine with that, especially since it meant they wouldn't question where she came from or _what_ she was. She didn't doubt that Able had been around long enough to know that something was different about her. And if he was able to reach that conclusion, she had a feeling that other programs would soon do the same thing.

"Mira." She felt Beck stiffen in surprise as she finally said something. "My name is Mira."

It wasn't the name she was born with. She had forgotten what her real name was long ago.

"What, you trust me now?" he asked warily.

She was ready to answer when she heard the engine of a light cycle behind them. Mira looked over her shoulder in time to see a black guard on hot pursuit. It was obvious that he was familiar with the terrain out here, gliding easily along the snow that covered most of the Outlands.

The driver managed to catch up with them faster than she thought possible. Beck was easily overwhelmed by a program with more skill as he swerved in front of them, using the light rail to derezz the vehicle he was driving. Mira tumbled into the snow, grimacing in pain after landing while Beck managed to land on his feet.

"You're a far way from home, programs."

The guard spoke in a grizzled voice that sent shivers through Mira. His suit only brought back painful memories of a time when she was younger. His statement held a double meaning for her.

 _You don't belong here_.

She heard so many programs say that when they found out she was User. After realizing that Users were not welcome on the Grid, she changed her tactic and tried blending in. Sometimes that just wasn't enough. Being on her own meant that she had to figure everything out quickly and without the help of others. This program hadn't seemed to care whether or not she was a program or a User.

Beck was ready to fight back when the guard suddenly threw a taser at him, hitting him square in the chest. Mira bit back a cry of shock when he was knocked out instantly. She was about to grab her own disk when he threw taser grenade in her path. Her vision went dark in an instant, and the last thing she saw was the guard picking up Beck and leaving her behind in the snow.

…

" **What a useless User. I can't believe this is what Flynn left us with."**

 **"How could you let them get away with that? They didn't deserve to die!"**

 **"They're a virus… if we let them spread, they will infect the entire system. Just like you."**

 **"I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be scarred for life!"**

 **"Then maybe you should have fought back.** "

…

Mira woke with a start. Her mind was spinning as memories of her past came back in rush. She remembered getting caught in the ISO war. The ISOs had suffered a worst punishment than anyone could have imagined at Clu's cruel hands. After that she was captured by the black guard. For so long she had tried pushing the bitter nightmare of being Clu's captive away. It was only thanks to an ISO that she was alive at all.

She found herself alone in the Outlands, shivering from the cold winds. That guard had left her. She wondered if he would have known that she was User. Maybe that was why he had left her behind. Somehow, she doubted that he knew that she was a User. He only took Beck because he saw the program as a threat. And she was probably nothing more than a Gridbug to said guard. Whatever his reasoning, she was beyond angry.

 _The least he could have done was given me a light cycle_! she thought bitterly. Argon City was still a few miles away from here. She was already low on energy, and it was only getting colder. Weather in Outlands had always been unpredictable, and a storm could whip up at any nanocycle. A shiver swept through her when she realized that she wouldn't last much longer on her own. Not without some kind of method of transportation.

Slowly but surely she made her way on wobbly legs towards the outskirt of the city. She wasn't sure how many cycles had passed since her adventure with Beck. Or if he was even alive. Had the guard derezzed him? She hoped not. He seemed good enough. There weren't too many programs who were capable of surpassing what they were programmed for, and Beck had done more than that. She had a feeling that he was capable of so much more than he realized. He just needed the right motivation to move forward in life.

Her body was beginning to feel numb with exhaustion by the time she reached the city. She hadn't realized just how low she was on energy until than. Mira blinked as she noticed several Recognizers were flying over the city. If she was caught now, it would literally be the end of the line. Sometimes she wondered if that would be a blessing. Just to end the suffering she had endured for so long.

Something kept her going, though. She wasn't sure why, or what it was. The urge to fight back and prove that she was stronger than what Clu originally thought kept her strong. A raw determination to survive what this cruel world threw at her.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

She woke up in an oddly familiar room. Blinking in surprise, Mira looked around to find herself back in the garage. The room itself was empty. Everyone must have woken up already and were at their stations. On the Grid, programs usually had their regular routines and work schedules set up each cycle. Since she wasn't programmed for anything, she woke up at random times throughout the cycle. She knew that other programs would begin to catch on that something was off with her sleep cycle if she continued staying at the garage.

Holding back a groan, Mira sat up and debated whether she should go down and see what was happening. Faint memories of cutting off Clu's statue and blowing it up came rushing back. Her eyes widened as she wondered if Beck had managed to survive the guard's wrath.

She couldn't imagine a worse fate than being caught by the guard. After experiencing her own fallout with Clu, she wanted nothing to do with him. Yet, the same determination from earlier to take him down came rushing back. Beck had only been willing to destroy the statue because Clu's soldier derezzed his friend, Bodhi. Now, she wasn't sure if he would continue fighting back.

The fact that Beck was able to surpass his programming had surprised her. Though she knew his conviction rested on the memory of Bodhi being derezzed, his ability to fight back left her wondering how many other programs would be willing to do so. Clu wouldn't be too thrilled if he knew that more and more programs were willing to fight back against him. It was oddly satisfying to know that there were others who didn't like Clu any less than she did, though.

"Hey, I'm glad to see you're awake." Mira froze at the sound of a female program's voice. She didn't mean to do that all the time. It was instinct that kicked in the moment someone tried speaking to her. Usually they didn't have anything kind to say. Even so, that didn't make her feel anymore comfortable trying to talk with the program. She simply found herself staring at the female for a few nanocycles, unsure of what to say or how to handle the situation. "Able found you passed out in front of the garage," the program with greenish blue hair explained. "You were dangerously low on energy."

Mira didn't say anything. Her eyes were narrowed as she remembered the way that program had left her in the Outlands. Getting zapped by a taser wasn't exactly something she enjoyed. The program eyed her warily before shrugging. She wasn't in any mood to talk, especially when it came to her latest ordeal.

Once the program had left, Mira got out of the bed and headed down to the workplace. Hopefully by now her light cycle was fixed, and she could leave this city once and for all. She didn't plan on sticking around any longer after Tesler took over. At that point, no city was safe on the Grid. Maybe she could hide out in Bismuth, but she suspected even that was a bit of a stretch. Every city throughout the Grid would soon become occupied territory for Clu. She had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before he finally caught up to her.

Sure enough, she found Able working on a light cycle while a few programs were gathered around him. Her eyes widened in surprise when she found Beck among them. He looked equally surprised to find her standing there with her arms crossed in annoyance. Though Beck didn't make eye contact with her, she could tell that he was trying to get a better read on her. She had to suppress a shiver of unease when she caught his questioning gaze.

"Your light cycle's finished," Able told her once he realized she was waiting for him. He tossed her a baton that looked very similar to the original. Mira rose an eyebrow as she rezzed her light cycle just to make sure he was telling the truth. To her surprise, and relief, she noticed that he was right. She revved the engine a few times to make sure that it was functioning properly, and once she heard the sound come to life, she couldn't hide the tiniest smiles from forming. "The break was modified by Beck."

"How long was I out?" she asked warily, surprised by how hoarse her voice sounded.

A few of the programs looked at her in shock at the sound of her grating voice. She flinched after realizing that none of them were used to hearing a voice that probably shouldn't have changed. While voice disguises were a real thing, Mira never planned on using one unless it was necessary. Though, she was beginning to understand that having such an ability to disguise her voice would come in handy once she went into hiding again.

"A few cycles, give or take," Beck replied with a shrug.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat as realization dawned on her. Had she really been that close to not waking up again? She'd had too many close calls to keep track of them. So many cycles had been spent just trying to survive while she was on her own. Now, she would have to start all over again with Tesler's takeover of Argon.

"Look, maybe it would be best if you stayed here," Able suggested once the crowd departed. Mira only glared at him in response. "How good are you at fixing things?"

"Horrible," she retorted, hating the fact that he thought she couldn't take care of herself. "I've never fixed a vehicle in my life."

And that much was true. The only reason she was here was because she had absolutely no other skills on the Grid. It was one of the many joys of being a User. True, she could always take the time to learn said skills, but no one bothered trying to teach her when she asked.

"Beck, maybe you can teach her a thing or two about the garage," Able said to the program watching them warily.

Beck's eyes widened in shock, as of the idea of teaching someone how to fix a light cycle was the worst suggestion Able could have made.

He shook his head, "Able, I can't," he muttered crossly. "I've got enough things going on to worry about."

Mira narrowed her eyes when he said that. Why did she think she could actually trust him? She shook her head in disbelief and started heading for the exit. It wasn't worth trying to stick around and see whether these programs could be trusted or not. She never intended to get to know anyone in the first place. Telling Beck her name had been nothing more than a mistake. It meant that he had an advantage over her.

"Look, thanks for fixing my bike," she said over her shoulder. She managed to keep the tone of her voice emotionless as she continued heading for the exit. "But, I've stayed here for too long as it is."

She could feel Able's gaze boring into her back. Luckily, he made no move to stop her as she left them standing there. Hopefully he wouldn't try sending another program after her. The last thing she wanted was to explain why she was leaving in the first place.

…

Argon City glowed in the distance as she gathered her wits. Mira wasn't expecting to stay as long as she had. She knew that the longer she stayed the higher risk she had of someone discovering what she was. The Grid was overflowing with Clu's soldiers and generals. It wasn't safe anywhere. The cities hadn't been safe to begin with when Flynn was in charge. But once Clu took over and began his reign of tyranny, life had gotten ten times worse for her.

 _I never thought I would actually miss life before the Betrayal_ , she thought sadly. Even before than it was a dangerous time; older programs had noticed she was a User and tried taking advantage of her. She learned over time to avoid those who were a risk to her life. Trust was something that had to be earned, not bought. _I trusted Beck_ … _I shouldn't have_.

She was about to pull out her light cycle when she heard the sound of footsteps crunching against the snow. Mira spun around, disk activated until she realized it was Beck. His hands were held in the air to show he wasn't a threat, but Mira was still wary around him. His reaction at the garage left her feeling that much more suspicious. Whatever the guard told him, and whatever deal he struck with them, it couldn't have been anything good.

"If you're asking me to go back, you can save your breath," she muttered, her tone dangerously low.

"I'm not," Beck replied, sounding a bit miffed that she would have suggested such a thing. "Look, I know Able may seem forceful, but he's trying to help."

"Well, I don't need his or anyone's help for that matter," she snapped, suddenly feeling angrier than usual. "I've been on my own long enough to know that I can take care of myself."

She was angry with herself for thinking these programs actually thought they could help her. She was even angrier that she couldn't bring herself to trust any of them. Beck didn't seem put off by her change in attitude. The fact that he didn't say anything only made things even more awkward. He simply frowned and studied her carefully. She suddenly felt vulnerable under his calm, piercing gaze. Despite her earlier frustration towards him, she found herself dropping her guard ever so slightly.

"Mira…" Her blood ran cold when he said her name. "I know I've done nothing to earn your trust, but can you trust me enough just this once?"

Mira stared at his open hand for a few nanocycles, wondering if she could trust him. Something in the back of her mind was screaming at her to run and never look back. It was dangerous getting too close to any program. Yet, another part of her longed to feel the warmth and love that had evaded her for most of her life.

"Okay," she slowly drew out the word, glancing at him warily. "What did you have in mind?"

Beck smirked and rezzed his light cycle. Mira tilted her head to one side as she began thinking he was about to take her back to the garage. But as she followed him, she realized they were heading deeper into the Outlands.

Huge mountains spiraled into what could be seen as the sky. Their peeks were sharp and jagged, with snow covering the very top. Mira noticed with a start that the storm from earlier had cleared. Her mind was whirling with questions when they reached a huge ravine. Time seemed to slow down when a bridge appeared between the ravine.

Soon they were at the base of the mountains. Mira pulled to a stop as she watched Beck move forward, his body swallowed by the very mountain itself. Her heart was racing with unease as she wondered what in the User's name just happened. It wasn't long before she found herself following the path Beck had taken, only to slam right into the mountain wall.

She held back a cry of pain when she collapsed on the ground, falling off her light cycle in the process. It took her a few nanocycles to recover from the initial shock when she turned her light cycle back into a baton. New scratches and bruises now covered her arms and legs. Glaring at the mountain, she realized this must have been a trap. She cursed under her breath once she was back on her feet and tried dusting off her suit.

Mira realized with a start that once again, she had been too quick to trust. She should have followed her instincts, especially when she found herself completely lost. She was ready to scream out of pure frustration when she heard the sound of footsteps again. She spun around to see Beck again, only this time she gave him a good punch in the shoulder.

"I deserved that," he said while grimacing from the impact. "Sorry, he's not big on trusting anyone either. But I told him what you did, and he wants to meet you."

"Who?" Mira asked, still glaring at him for leaving her like that.

"You'll see."

After what just happened, she knew that trusting Beck wasn't a good idea. But, curiosity had gotten the better of her as she followed him into the mountain. This time, the wall let her through. Confusion swept through her as she wondered how anyone could cause the wall to solidify like that.

It took some time for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Though it didn't last long when they reached what seemed like the main floor of the mountain. Mira's eyes widened when she found herself standing in a room illuminated by blinding white lights.

She tried taking everything in at once. The mountain was actually a hideout. In front of her she could see what looked like some kind of monitoring system watching over Argon City. And a large window overlooked the Outlands and the city in the distance. She was surprised by how immaculately clean everything was.

"Where are we?" she couldn't help but ask.

"A safehouse," replied that same grated voice from a few cycles ago. Mira whirled around to see a tall, muscular figure standing behind her and Beck. Except this time, he wasn't dressed in a black guard's suit. His suit was black with white circuits, along with a very familiar looking symbol that made Mira realize who she was staring at. "Beck told me that you were with him when he destroyed the statue."

"Yeah…" Mira paused as she glanced anxiously at Beck, who only shrugged. He didn't seem all that shocked to see that the program in question was alive. If anything, Beck looked more in awe of the fact that the program was alive. "How are you alive?"

"It's a long story, and one I don't have time to explain," he replied after furrowing his eyebrows. She suspected he was annoyed by her question, or the fact that Beck had brought her along. Either way, it was clear that he didn't trust her. Though, the feelings were mutual when she found herself refusing to make eye contact. "Programs aren't supposed to know this place exists."

 _He's planning on derezzing me_ , she realized, glaring coldly at Beck as his eyes widened in shock.

"Tron, you can't be serious?" Beck asked in disbelief.

"She's seen too much," Tron replied in a that suggested he was dead serious. "I thought I made it clear when I said no one can know I am alive."

It didn't take Mira long to understand the situation she was in. Beck had just put her life in danger for no reason. Tron wasn't the same program she had heard of cycles ago. Sensing her unease, Beck took a defensive step closer and glared at Tron.

"Go ahead and derezz me," she suddenly snapped, earning looks of surprise from them both. For too long, she had seen too many programs react the same way. They usually saw her as nothing more than a threat or a pest that needed to be taken care of, and she only managed to survive those outcomes due to sheer luck. "Maybe it would do everyone a favor."

She half expected Tron to end it right than and there. But something held him back when he was reaching for his disk. A look in her eyes, one he had only seen in one other program. He stopped himself and studied her expression carefully. There was definitely something about her that was different from Beck.

"Who are you?" he asked after an icy silence followed, making things awkward.

"How can I tell you my name when I don't even trust you?" she countered in an icy tone, glaring at him.

Tron actually looked taken aback by that response. That was enough for him to realize that this program had suffered far more than she was willing to share. He suspected there was more to her than even Beck realized when they first met. The fact that he wasn't able to see her on Beck's disk clarified something was definitely up with her.

"Maybe you would be useful."

He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Mira's eyes narrowed when she heard him say it.

 _I will not be someone's tool of war_ , she reminded them silently.

"There's a war happening throughout the Grid," he added in a clearer voice. "I've already asked Beck to take my place and build a Revolution. He could use an extra hand, especially if you're as gifted as he claims."

Mira almost laughed when Tron said she was 'gifted'. She was anything but. Being a User was nothing more than a cost on the Grid. She doubted there was anything she could do to help Tron in whatever plan he had for the future. Even when other programs tried seeing how they could use her to their advantage, they began to reach the same conclusion that she was useless. Mira had long-since given up hope that she could provide anything helpful for programs like Tron.

"Okay, what's the catch?" she asked, crossing her arms while giving his plea some thought.

"He also told me you don't have a place to live," he explained, sounding almost wary for giving her a chance. "If you choose to work with us, you're welcome to stay here."

Mira looked down at her feet as she realized what Tron was offering. He was risking his own life for someone he didn't know. If it had been the other way around, she wondered if she would do the same thing. Finally, she looked up and gave a faint nod.

"Alright, fine. But that doesn't mean I have to trust you," she told him.

"I don't expect anything less."


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

She wasn't sure what to expect when Tron asked her to join Beck in the Revolution. While she managed to teach herself everything she knew for the last few xilacycles, it was never actually enough. Mira was always harder on herself due to the fact that she was a User. Tron was one of the greatest warriors on the Grid for a reason. He was programmed to fight for the Users, and having those skills meant that he was twice as strong as she would ever be. Still, that didn't stop her from testing out her skills. Once he figured out what she and Beck already knew, he would move on from there and teach them whatever he knew.

One of those skills happened to be the light cycle challenge. Tron had set up a course for light cycles in the Outlands that would test their skills on the open road. Mira had been more than surprised to find that the course was designed in a way to test whether one needed improvement or not. And judging from the way Tron continued testing Beck's patience with each nanocycle, he wanted to see how much more they needed to improve.

Mira's wrists clenched around the handlebars of her light cycle as she swerved in and out of the snowbanks. Other times, she would pull forward so quickly that she managed to go upside down in the process on some of the ramps. She avoided being pulled into Tron's test while he maneuvered carefully around Beck. With his attention focused on the mechanic, Mira used it as an opportunity to test whether Beck had fixed the breaks or not.

Sure enough, it didn't take her long to reach another snowbank that jutted higher into the sky. She spotted Tron out of the corner of her eye moving fast towards her. Beck was close on his tail, using his light wall to gain a boost in speed. Mira nearly rolled her eyes at the sight. She knew from experience that one could only rely on their light wall for so long. Learning how to move without relying on it was one of the most important lessons anyone could learn while on their own.

She finally swerved along the snowbank and managed to do a wheelie in the process of turning on her breaks. Mira's eyes widened in surprise when she pulled to a stop, nearly colliding with Tron in the process. His response was to suddenly pull on his breaks, and the glare that followed was enough to send a shiver of unease through her. She refused to make eye contact when Beck finally reached them, frowning in confusion when he noticed the tension between them.

"It works perfectly," she admitted once she recovered from her initial surprise. Beck rose an eyebrow when he realized that she had been testing whether or not he and Able told her the truth about fixing it. Though, after seeing how little trust she had in everyone, he wasn't too surprised by that comment. "Thanks for fixing the break by the way."

"Are you done yet?" Tron asked in a tone that suggested he wasn't in the mood for jokes. Mira just glared back after she noticed how annoyed he really was with her. While she couldn't necessarily blame him, she didn't feel any better knowing that they had to put up with each other. "We need to keep seeing just how much you know. _You_ especially."

 _You would consider me the weakest one here_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes. If Tron had any indication that she was a User, Mira had no doubt that he would have treated her differently. She was thankful that he didn't know. Some small part of her had a feeling that he wouldn't be as harsh on her. Or, his treatment would be that much worse. There was no telling how Flynn's disappearance would have effected him after the Betrayal.

With that thought in mind, she and Beck were put to the ultimate challenge by trying to avoid getting caught by Tron. Relief swept through Mira when she noticed how much faster and more experienced she was compared to Beck. Tron seemed to harass him the most by slamming into his light cycle a few times. Each time Beck made a comment on the fact that he was faster, Tron would retaliate by slamming into his light cycle. He managed to do the same to her a few times, but she finally had enough and surged ahead.

It wasn't until seeing the gorge up ahead that an idea came to mind. A thin line formed from her mouth as she reached one of the natural ramps. She was more than happy to jump the gorge after gaining enough momentum from the ramps. She wanted to see if Tron would be willing to pull off the same stunt.

"Jump!" she suddenly shouted above the howling wind.

"Jump?" Beck shouted back in confusion. His face faltered when he was finally able to see what she had been planning. The gorge was wide, but she knew that she would be able to reach the other side with ease. Practice was the only way she had ever been able to get this far, along with confidence. "We can't make that!" he cried after skidding to a halt just after reaching the gorge.

To Mira's surprise, that didn't seem to deter Tron. If anything, he was more determined than ever to prove that he could easily keep up with her. He used one of the ramps himself and gained enough momentum to soar across the gorge, landing gracefully just a few inches from where she had landed nanocycles before.

"You were testing me," he practically growled out the words when his mask receded.

Mira merely rose an eyebrow at the accusing look that followed. She couldn't tell if he was annoyed with her actions, or impressed. Either way, she maintained her composure and gave a small shrug. This was nothing compared to what she had been able to do on her own.

"I was technically testing both you and Beck," she admitted ruefully. She glanced over to where Beck was still staring at them with a mixture of panic and aggravation. He wanted to be able to prove himself as well, but she realized that he wasn't confident enough. That lack of confidence was going to get him derezzed if he ever went out into the field. "He doesn't have much confidence."

For once, Tron nodded in agreement. He crossed his arms as they watched Beck turn around and rev his engine. Once he reached a far enough distance that felt safe to reach the other side, Beck suddenly sped forward. Mira couldn't help but wince when she noticed that he hadn't given himself enough clearance between himself and the gorge. He barely managed to reach the other side when he suddenly caught hold of the wall, dropping his light cycle baton in the process.

"You know what you did wrong, Beck?" Tron asked once he helped the mechanic back to his feet.

"Yeah. I followed you," he replied without missing a beat.

Mira just crossed her arms when he shot her a look that suggested this was somehow her fault.

 _Well, I did technically start the challenge_ , she reminded herself silently.

"You hesitated," Tron informed him. He leaned against his light cycle and crossed his own arms while watching Beck's reactions. Mira knew that if he had been a few seconds later in his jump, he could have missed the wall entirely and fallen to his death. That thought sent a shiver through her as she realized how close he could have been to derezzing. "She was able to reach the other side because she didn't hesitate."

She sat back and listened as Tron tried to point out Beck's mistakes so that he could improve on them. All the while, her mind kept churning as she wondered how Tron would have reacted had he known she was a User. She suddenly found herself glancing at him self-consciously at the thought. He was likely hard on the mechanic simply because he needed to learn from his mistakes, and because he lacked confidence in himself.

"How can I become the next Tron if I can't even keep up with the real one? No one's going to believe I'm you. To them I'm just another renegade program," Beck sighed in frustration.

"You need to have faith in yourself," Tron reminded him.

Mira sat back with her arms crossed as she considered what Tron was implying. Considering the fact that he was relying on another program and a User he didn't even know was a User, she found it odd that he would say that. She understood what Beck was going through, though. Self doubt would always be inevitable the first few tries. She had learned the hard way that living with self-doubt wouldn't get her anywhere. Castor was the first program to teach her that.

"Easy for you to say. You were programmed to _save_ the Grid. I'm just a mechanic," Beck retorted.

"You're more than just a mechanic, Beck. You surpassed your programming; you stood up for what you believed in," Tron added, sounding more desperate this time. "You did all of that on your own. The uprising needs a hero."

 _What am I, chop liver_? Mira wondered with a roll of her eyes.

"What uprising? It's just the three of us out here," Beck pointed out.

Well, at least _someone_ remembered she was there. Tron didn't seem to hear what he was saying, though. Not that Mira was surprised. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Tron as she began to notice a pattern. The fact that he ignored her presence entirely annoyed her. She hadn't joined this ragtag team just to be ignored, despite how little trust she had in Tron.

"Aren't you the one who said others would follow? That the revolution would spread if we ignite the spark?" He shot Mira a look that dared her to step in and try making things better.

She shrugged and looked away as time moved on. Something told her that even if she did say something, they would never listen. Beck made a tiny coughing noise and shook his head in disbelief before continuing the argument.

"So, you're listening to me now? I almost plunged into the bottom of a canyon. I don't think I'm cut out to inspire anyone."

He began to walk away when Tron narrowed his eyes and stopped him.

"Beck, your baton. You should probably get that."

Beck's shoulders sagged in defeat when he realized that Tron was serious. Mira chose that moment to slip away before things got any worse. Tron was hard on Beck. Probably more so than he needed to be. Maybe hearing a few words of encouragement would help ease his mind.

She wasn't surprised to see him already returning for Argon City, which was only a few miles from here. Luckily, she was able to reach him before he got much farther. Beck glanced at her in surprise when she fell in beside him at a steady pace. She wasn't about to let him return to the city after that conversation. Not without at least figuring out whether or not he was capable of being the renegade like Tron insisted.

"So, are you off to mope some more, or what?" she asked with a knowing look. Beck rolled his eyes at that.

"I'm not cut out to be the leader Tron thought I was," he sighed. "Maybe you're better off sticking with him to become the next renegade."

Mira almost laughed at that, until she realized he was serious. There was no way she could ever see herself leading a revolution. If Tron saw that she was a User, he would probably stick her away in some cage for the rest of her life. The thought sent a shiver of unease through her. She'd already lived in Clu's prison for so long. The last thing she wanted was for another program to do the same.

"Well, you've got skill," she admitted. "But this is going to take more than that. You need to have patience, and most importantly, you need to learn how to deal with someone as grumpy as Captain Grumpy."

This time it was Beck's turn to laugh. It was the first time she had ever seen him laugh, and she couldn't help but grin back sheepishly. He was about to say something else when a Recognizer flew past them. Mira's eyes widened in panic when she realized they were caught.

"Halt, programs. You're in violation of curfew," a voice boomed from the Recognizer.

Mira's grip tightened on her handle bars as she saw guards up ahead. After Tesler took over Argon City, there seemed to be more and more guards posted around the outskirts of said city. She supposed she shouldn't have felt too surprised that this area was just as heavily guarded.

Though, her heart nearly skipped a beat when she heard them mention 'curfew'. Most of the cities that were occupied territory had a curfew in place. She quickly learned that being caught during the curfew was a big mistake. Programs were usually either captured for the games or derezzed for disobedience. It was an unfair and unnecessary rule that Clu created simply because he wanted to keep programs in line. Anyone who decided otherwise were usually quickly taken care of.

"Identify." One of the guards slammed their staff on the ground.

"Beck…" Mira started as he turned his light cycle back into a baton.

She did the same after realizing what he was planning. They started running towards empty transport cars while the guards were giving chase. Beck placed one hand on her mouth once they reached the end of a transport car.

"In here," he breathed out as they crept around the corner and into what they thought was an empty cart. Mira was ready to bite his hand due to her lack of breathing room when he took a startled step back. "Please tell me you're hiding too."

Mira followed his gaze and noticed six programs were on either side of the transport cart. She realized with a start that these programs looked as if they had seen better days. All of them were looking down at the floor, all except for one who stood up upon noticing their arrival.

"Proceed with transport," a female voice echoed from outside.

"What do they mean by transport?" Mira asked warily.

She tried to ignore the sinking feeling that formed in the pit of her stomach. Beck only shook his head as one of the programs approached them.

Her stomach nearly flipped upside down upon recognizing the program in question. She hadn't seen him in many, many cycles. But seeing him brought back painful memories of losing the ISOs and one of the few friends she'd had back in the old days.

"Congratulations, programs. You've just made yourselves prisoners," he stated in a cold voice.

Mira breathed out a sigh of relief when she realized he didn't recognize her. She had changed a lot since they first met. Back than she was a tiny User who could barely defend herself. Knowing that he didn't recognize her meant that he wouldn't give away what she was, and that saved her a lot of trouble from having to explain herself.

"This is wrong, I shouldn't be here! I didn't do anything; it's the renegades!" one program started panicking.

"Cool it, Rilo," Cutler snapped.

"Have you forgotten where they're taking us? Each of us is going to get _derezzed_. Have you ever seen anyone get derezzed? It's disgusting!" he cried out before placing his face in his hands.

 _I've watched that happen far too many times_ , Mira thought bitterly.

"What's he talking about? Where are we going?" Beck asked.

That same lurch in her stomach returned as she already suspected where they were headed. Programs who were caught breaking the law were sent to one place that would result in their deresolution, or worse. Sure enough, as she peered out the window Cutler had pointed out of, she recognized the place almost instantly.

"The games…" she breathed out before panic settled in. "Users, this can't be happening!"

"Has this happened before?" Beck asked anxiously.

The others watched her curiously as she started pacing. Her breathing had already begun getting worse with each passing nanocycle. Getting caught in the games again was the last thing she wanted. Her heart began racing with dread, and she had to take several deep breaths to try and calm herself down.

Seeing the coliseum in the distance only brought back horrific memories. A shudder ran through her as she pictured a soldier with a black suit and red circuits looming over her, disk ready for the final blow. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she was shaken from her thoughts. Beck was looking at her in alarm when he noticed that something was clearly wrong with her.

"It's not something I like to talk about," she murmured.

"This is exactly why we shouldn't be here in the first place!" Rilo shouted, earning looks of annoyance from the programs around him.

Mira couldn't meet Beck's eyes when the transport cart was lowered to their impending doom. Being here was just another painful reminder that she wouldn't survive long in the games. A foreboding silence fell upon the group as they were led into a main room where they were given protective shoulder pads. Not that they would do much for them. The shoulder pads were just there for show. She knew what fate loomed ahead of them.

"Congratulations, programs. You have been selected for the games," a voice boomed as they were given extra gear to defend themselves with.

"If I don't get through this, the renegade is to blame," Rilo stated.

He was trembling with dread as Cutler shot him a warning look.

"Rilo, I told you that—"

"It's not his fault? The only reason we're here is because the renegade decided to remodel Clu's statue. The next thing I know I'm here because I broke curfew. I lost track of time, I shouldn't have to _die_ because of it!"

Was the curfew really their fault? Mira knew that there were curfews throughout all of the cities on the Grid. But Argon had been one of the last cities not to be occupied by Clu's soldiers, until now. It made sense that programs wouldn't know what was happening.

A shiver of unease swept through Mira as she wondered how much they had been responsible for since starting this chaos. Clu hated anyone who interfered with his view on perfection. Knowing that a couple of programs were causing interference would put his generals on edge.

"We'll survive this," Beck said in a reassuring tone. "You're not going to die."

The look he was giving Mira only made her roll her eyes. It was as if he expected her to say something that would only make things worse. She knew better than to speak out. By now, it had become more of a habit not to say anything unless someone regarded her presence.

"For your safety a battle suit has been equipped. Do not attempt to remove your battle armor. Processing complete. Enjoy the games."

The sirens stepped back and disappeared into the darkness.

"I feel much safer already," Mira muttered sarcastically.

Suddenly, they found themselves standing in a huge arena surrounded by battle-hungry programs shouting and booing. Mira felt overwhelmed by the loud noise and circular platforms that rose above her. Another platform was fast approaching them with several guards who were performing moves along the way.

 _Just riling up the crowd_ , she guessed.

"In the name of our great leader Clu," Tesler's voice boomed across the arena, pausing for a moment as the crowd roared in excitement. Mira tensed at the mention of Clu, but she knew there was no point in showing any anger. Only determination and a skilled mind would get her through this now. "Let the games begin!"

The crowd went wild as the enemy programs launched themselves onto all platforms. Cutler leaped to the first platform and fought against the leader of the group.

"Rilo, stay close to me," Beck warned the scared program as he realized it was about to start.

Mira leaped onto the nearest platform and grabbed her disk before activating it. The soldier in front of her let out a primal growl once he'd activated his disk and faced her. Mira steadied herself as she prepared for the battle that was about to begin.

"Ready to dance?"

* * *

 **AN: Well, this chapter isn't all too different other than the fact that Cutler doesn't recognize her this time (I realize that she would look totally different now since he saw her as a little User at the time they met), so that's happened.**

 **Panda Bear Lover 317 - I honestly wasn't sure whether it would be worth doing a rewrite, especially given where the first story led to. But I realized how many loopholes and mistakes were in the original, and I just wanted to make something that was hopefully better. I'm glad that you liked it so far, especially the subtle changes ;) Listening to NF really inspired me to rewrite it. His music is surprisingly dark but realistic in a sense that helps with the story's pace and plot.**


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Mira swung her disk at the guard when she saw an opening. Her disk left a clean cut across his arm – compared to what she had faced before, these programs were pushovers. Beck and Rilo were fighting side by side while Cutler had fought on a separate platform. Watching them fight told her that they would be fine on their own. Cutler had xilacycles of experience fighting during the ISO war, while Beck had already proven himself worth multiple times. Rilo, on the other hand, she wasn't too sure about.

The guard suddenly leaped and twirled in the air before throwing his disk in her direction. Mira managed to block the blow with her disk before kicking him square in the chest. The guard retaliated by slicing his disk right across her cheek. She scowled in disgust, recoiling from the burning pain before knocking the guard out.

If they saw her bleed now, they would know she was a User. Luckily it was only a minor cut and wouldn't last long. With a smirk she swerved to the left and managed to knock her opponent down. The guard made a gurgling noise before she knocked him unconscious. When she was finished with her first enemy she faced yet another guard. This one was slightly larger than her first opponent. He leaped into the air and gave her a mighty kick that knocked her off of the platform, sending her straight into the back of another guard that had been fighting Beck. She gasped in shock at the impact that made her teeth clatter.

The guard was ready to deliver a final blow when she kicked him so hard in the chest that it managed to knock him out. The guard was sent flying across the floor and only managed to skid to a stop. Relief swept through her when she noticed that he hadn't slid over the edge. Though these programs were working for Clu, that didn't mean she enjoyed derezzing them. Killing innocent programs was out of the question. She only delivered a death blow if the situation demanded it, and even then, she tried looking for other ways around it.

"You okay?" Beck sounded concerned as he walked towards her. Mira looked over her shoulder to see that Rilo had been derezzed as well. When she nodded, Beck looked more relieved than worried. It was clear that he worried for her own safety, despite the fact that they hardly knew each other. It surprised Mira to see how quickly he had changed since they first met. "I couldn't save Rilo," he added with a heavy sigh.

"But _we're_ still in the game," she reminded him. They needed to stay focused on the fight in front of them. These guards wouldn't hesitate to derezz anyone that stood in their way, and she had no doubt they would jump at the opportunity to take her in if they found out the truth. She was about to say something else when another program threw their disk towards them. She ducked out of the way while Beck fended it off with a kick. "Round three coming up."

She nearly rolled her eyes before leaping to her feet and running forward. The program didn't see the move coming as she slammed her elbow into their ribs. She gripped the program's shoulders with her hand and jumped into the air before giving the enemy a good kick in the back. Once the program was knocked out and tossed across the platform, Mira glanced at Beck warily. He had been fighting another guard at the same time, and she was relieved to see that he hadn't been overpowered as well.

"Cutler!" Beck suddenly called out the program's name.

Mira looked up to in time see that a program had been thrown off of the platform Cutler was on. Another had replaced it almost instantly, but Cutler managed to derezz the program before he jumped down to join them. Suddenly, an alarm bell sounded just as another program was about to face them.

"Due to technical difficulties this round has ended early," a voice announced.

The crowd began to boo and shout insulting words as the three of them were led away by the guards. Somehow, Mira wasn't surprised to hear the crowd booing at the announcement. They were there purely to see other programs get derezzed. The thought sent a shiver of unease through her. The games had never been designed for such cruelty, but Clu had corrupted them to the point where programs didn't care what happened to the victims involved.

Mira's shoulders sagged in relief when she realized it was over, for now. To her surprise, the three of them had won the match. She wasn't expecting them to survive as long as they had. The games weren't exactly designed for the challenger to win each match. She knew that it was usually an unfair match between highly trained guards and innocent programs captured on the streets. She hadn't realized until that point just how exhausted she was either as she followed the others towards their quarters.

Her relief was short-lived though as she was tossed in one prison cell, while Beck and Cutler were held in the other. She was thankful to be alone, despite the high tension, but at least they had a chance to talk if worse came to worse. To their right, another couple of programs were thrown into a different holding cell.

"We have more teammates to break in," Cutler sighed as he leaned against the wall.

"You mean more programs to be derezzed," Beck grumbled.

Mira sighed irritably and wished that Beck would stop trying to sound so downcast. It was already depressing enough to know that she was stuck in the games again. Beck's attitude towards their predicament wasn't helping. While she understood why he was acting this way, she wanted nothing more than to forget where they were. She had already spent enough time in the games as it was to know that nothing good would come out of being there.

"Don't tell me you believe that? We could use someone out there you're not a bad fighter."

Cutler sounded just as annoyed as he looked at Beck curiously.

"Tell that to Rilo. I wasn't programed for this. I'm just a mechanic."

"Beck, would you stop with the self-pity and woe-is-me routine?" Mira groaned with a roll of her eyes. "It's getting old. Besides, you've already proven you're more than capable."

Beck's eyes widened in surprise when she shot him a knowing look. If he was anything like he had been during their escapade at the statue, she knew he was capable of so much more. Tron had been right about one thing. He just needed the confidence to realize what he could do.

"You look familiar," Cutler said in an accusing tone. Mira flinched and shifted uneasily in her seat, not sure how to sum up exactly why she was here in Argon. "Are you sure we haven't met before?"

She knew he was talking to _her_ , not Beck. Not for the first time, the tone of his voice sounded suspicious. She had no doubt Cutler would recognize her if she offered enough information. The problem was, she _didn't_ want him to recognize her.

"No… I'm not sure how that would be possible," she replied, her voice oddly quiet.

Cutler didn't let it drop, much to her dismay.

"No, I swear I've seen you before," he said thoughtfully.

Mira swallowed as she remembered meeting him for the first time. Back than, she had been so small and defenseless. She would have run away if there was a fight in the area. It was hard to believe how much she had changed over the cycles. That didn't mean she didn't have scars that were given to her thanks to Clu. Even so, telling Cutler who she was wouldn't have helped matters. He would have told Beck, and that would only make things worse. She wasn't ready to tell Beck or Tron what she really was. At least not until she knew they wouldn't overreact.

Thankfully, she was saved from having to tell Cutler anything when Beck started talking to him. Exhaustion slowly crept over her as she leaned her head against the wall. Sleep was something that came easily to most programs. All they had to do was slip into sleep mode and stay like that until another cycle passed. Users were different. Not only did she have a difficult time sleeping while on the Grid, but she also tended to suffer from nightmares thanks to her treatment on the Grid. She didn't want Beck or Cutler discovering that she had been catching some shut-eye before the next round came up.

"I was heading to Argon to find the renegade," he explained.

Beck looked up at him in surprise. At least there was someone willing to support the renegades and their cause. If Cutler was willing to support them, it made sense to let him continue his endeavors. She knew they would need all the backup they could get once they became more infamous throughout the Grid.

"Aren't we here because of the renegades?" Beck demanded.

"I don't think so." Cutler shrugged and earned a grin from Mira. She couldn't help but respect the fact that he was willing to risk his life for someone he barely knew. "If he and his partner are willing to risk their lives to free the Grid from Clu, than I want to be right there beside them." Beck looked at Cutler as if he was about to derezz. Mira stifled a laugh at his reaction. "Besides, I know who one of the renegades _really_ is."

"Who?"

As they continued talking about Tron and how Cutler believed he was still alive, Mira slowly drifted off to sleep. She just hoped she wasn't caught by the guards.

…

"Mira…"

Her eyes snapped open when she heard Beck whisper her name. She glanced at the cell holding him and saw that guards were posted at the entrance.

"Programs, you're being moved to the next round," one of the guards announced.

 _Oh good, I haven't gotten all of my beauty rest_ , Mira thought with a roll of her eyes. If the guards had seen her sleeping they would know that she was a User. Four times Beck had saved her life. She glanced at him thankfully before she followed the two guards standing at her cell's entrance.

Handcuffs were placed around her wrists as she was thrown into a line of programs that were being led towards their own demise. Beck and Cutler were in front of her, and she was thankful they couldn't see the amount of frustration she was feeling towards the guards. She knew letting her anger out on these guards wouldn't get them anywhere. If anything, it would only get them into trouble. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for putting their lives in more danger than they already were.

"Move faster," one of the guards sneered and jabbed a staff at her.

She glared at him as coldly as she could before looking away. All she wanted was a chance to relax before they were pushed to the next round. These guards didn't care whether or not they were testing her patience. She turned to Beck just in time to overhear him whisper something to Cutler.

"Tell the program in front of you that Tron lives."

His words took her by surprise. Of course, that would cause the guards to panic and search for who had started the rumor. She nearly grinned at the thought as Cutler spread word throughout the line of programs.

"Tron lives? Who told you that?"

The program in front came to a halt and was whacked in the ribs with a staff by one of the guards.

"What was that? Who said Tron lives? Who said it?"

Several guards studied the line up before grabbing the program in front by the wrist. It didn't take long for them to begin questioning the others. With everyone on edge as it was because of the games, Mira wasn't surprised to see the guards pick a fight with the prisoners. It was the perfect opportunity to slip away without being noticed. She realized with a start that Beck was clever enough to know that the guards wouldn't hesitate to fight the prisoners or stir trouble among them.

"Let's go."

Beck suddenly stepped out of the line and ran towards a light cable holding up several pipes. Mira was quick to follow him, though she knew what fate would befall the programs that lingered behind. The guards would likely derezz them for stating what they thought was wrong, or in Clu's term _imperfect_. Beck placed what appeared to be a tool that was used by the mechanics at Able's garage. She recognized it from when he had repaired the light copter. Once it was attached a stream of codes appeared, and he was quick to break in.

Once the transport sequence was started they climbed up the pipes. Mira climbed the rails and the pipes with ease until they reached a point of the building that was still under construction. Since the building was still relatively new, she wasn't surprised to see that it was under construction. Seeing the bits of code and data used to create the massive structure made her wonder if there was a way to make it collapse. Anything was better than having to watch innocent programs suffer from the games.

"You know what will happen if they find out about this," Mira said as they made a run for it.

"You'll get derezzed." Mira's eyes widened when she realized that they had been surrounded. The female program who'd pursued them earlier was among the guards. "Why am I not surprised? You three want to be a team so badly, then so be it."

Mira held back a groan when they were bound together by some kind of unbreakable rope.

Cutler and Beck tried to break the rope as well, but found it was impossible. Mira glared at the female program before they were pushed forward.

She wasn't going to say a word as they were led towards the light cycle grid. This was the last place where she had almost lost her life. Memories of that cycle haunted her. A shiver ran through her as she wondered whether those nightmares would come back to haunt her again.

"Beck, I've got a light sword I can use to break this," she whispered so that the female couldn't hear.

It was obvious that she had a higher authority than the other guards around her. She must have been what the programs called a 'Commander'. She'd run into a few commanders during her travels across the Grid. Fortunately, she never had to actually fight one.

"Keep it subtle, we don't want them to notice," he told her.

She nodded and avoided meeting Cutler's gaze as they were shoved into the light cycle arena. Unsurprisingly the crowd went wild as three light cycles zoomed ahead, using their light ribbons to derez any unsuspecting programs.

Mira reached for her light sword and unsheathed it. The light cycles were gaining speed and headed in their direction. She swung the light sword at the rope, and sighed in relief when it was broken. This caused the crowd to roar wildly as she leaped out of the way. Once Cutler and Beck were free they went to work taking care of their opponents.

Her light sword in hand, Mira ran forward at running speed until she managed to trip the light cycle. It was sent flying across the game grid, sending it's rider into immediate deresolution. Beck and Cutler managed to overpower the other two riders as well. Mira wasn't surprised to see Beck riding one of the light cycles. He grinned at her before breaking and standing up.

 _This looks kind of corny_ , Mira thought as they threw their fists in the air at their triumph. She couldn't help but laugh at the sudden rush of their victory, though. It was good to know that her fighting skills impressed the programs that were cheering for them. She could only imagine how they would have reacted if they knew she was a _User_.

Now she wasn't sure what would happen next. All she did know was that it wouldn't end well.

…

"General Tesler was quite impressed with the way you three fought." One of Tesler's commanders had ordered the three of them out of their holding cells after they were allowed to rest for a few seconds. Mira narrowed her eyes at him and thought his voice sounded obnoxious. "The crowd rarely gets to see such _delicious_ fighting. He's offered… an impressive award."

 _Right, and what kind of an award will that be_? Mira wondered with a roll of her eyes. _Joining Tesler's army?_

She had a feeling it would be something worse. Programs who survived the coliseum and the games were usually repurposed into Clu's soldiers. She'd heard enough rumors and horror stories to know that was one of the many reasons programs avoided the games.

Soon they were led into yet another arena. The platform they stood on was bigger than the smaller ones in their first fight. Sure enough the crowd went wild as the commander rose his arms.

"Programs of Argon, I am pleased to announce that the next round is about to begin!" His announcement seemed to only make the crowd more excited as they waited for what the round would be. "The two winners of this round will receive the ultimate prize. Their freedom."

A sly look crossed the commander's face as he glared at Beck and Cutler. Mira returned his glare and reached for her disk. If it meant gaining their freedom, then she was all too willing to accept whatever challenges these programs threw at her. Though, she suspected that the grin written across the commander's face meant it couldn't be anything good.

"Who are we fighting?" she demanded in all of the cold voice she could muster.

She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how nervous he made her feel. There was something about this commander that sent shivers of unease through her. The way he spoke and the way he stared at them with little to no emotion only fueled her reasoning not to trust him.

"Why, each other of course. And to the death." The program backed away as the ledge he stood on was pulled out.

Mira stiffened and glanced at Beck worriedly. She couldn't fight Cutler even if she wanted to. They'd been through too much to fight to the death.

"They expect us to fight each other?" Beck looked at Cutler.

"Derezz each other. That crowd won't be satisfied until one of us is in pieces." Cutler reached for his disk by sheer instinct and looked as though he regretted it.

"We're not going to let that happen," Mira said determinedly. "They can't make us fight."

As if her words had been a cue a wall of energy suddenly surrounded them. Mira felt panic stir within her when the walls had begun to close around them. She didn't like confined spaces, especially when her life was on the line.

"The wall of energy will fall when there are two winners. Fight, or die." This time it was Tesler who spoke up, and Mira's fists clenched together.

Of course, they would have to fight. There was no use in defying something that would only end in tragedy. She exchanged a look with Beck when he finally caught on to what she was thinking. As much as he hated to admit it, this was the only way they would survive the games. They would have to fight each other, despite how wrong it felt.

"We have to fight!" she shouted.

"What, are you crazy?"

Cutler just looked at her in disbelief when she made that suggestion. While he was struggling to come with terms with what she suggested, Beck already reached for his disk and activated it.

"Two of us have to get out, or there will be no one to carry on the uprising," he explained. "They'll win."

"I'm not going to fight either of you," Cutler shot back.

"Then you'll die a coward," Mira snapped.

Without warning she threw her disk at Cutler, who managed to block the blow with his own disk. He saw what was coming next and ran for the corner of the wall before swinging a disk towards Mira. She dodged each blow before kicking Beck's disk out of her reach.

 _This is impossible_ , she thought as she fell to the ground to dodge another throw.

She gasped in shock when Beck managed to pin Cutler in a corner. He was about to deal the final blow when he hesitated a moment too late. Cutler kicked Beck out of the way and sent him landing on the floor. Mira was next to face Cutler as she tried to evade the blade's edge.

What Cutler did next caught Mira by surprise. He threw his disk into the floor of the platform and stood up.

"I forfeit!" he shouted.

Suddenly the crowd went silent before they started booing.

"No forfeits."

Tesler's words made Mira wish she could just throw her disk at the screen he was hiding behind. He was like any other coward hiding behind the protection of a screen or his Commanders. Somehow, she was hardly surprised that Tesler refused to accept Cutler's decision.

"Programs, prepare for immediate deresolution."

The female voice seemed to echo around the stadium, sending shivers of dread down Mira's spine.

Beck and Cutler looked like they were ready to burst with frustration as well. Mira glanced at them before glaring back at the screen.

"Programs of Argon, we are not savages." Mira rolled her eyes when Tesler said that. "I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it. Two programs will go free, but as for the loser… He will be derezzed in the next cycle at Argon park, bit, by painful bit."

Waves of relief rushed through Mira as she and Beck were led through another hall by two guards. Cutler had stayed where he was until they were led away, and she wondered if he would face his punishment right on the spot. A shudder coursed down her spine at the thought.

"You're free to go." The guards had picked off the handcuffs and tossed them aside.

Mira studied the little nicks and dents they'd left on her wrists. She would have to make a point and hide them. If Tron found out she was a User, she was sure things would only go from bad to worse.

"Cutler!" Beck cried out and shoved one of the guards aside.

"Beck, find Tron!" Mira winced when one of the guards threw a light staff into Cutler's back, sending waves of energy coursing through him. The program fell to the ground and lost the ISO brace that was wrapped around his shoulder. "Don't stop fighting back!" Those were his last words before he was pulled back into one of the holding cells.

The old program had helped her during the ISO war. Suddenly she wished she could tell him everything. She did regret not telling him who she was, or what she had gone through during their departure. Cutler didn't deserve to die. Not at the hands of Tesler.

"Come on, we'd better get back," Beck said as he reached for the brace.

She sighed and followed him as he reached for a baton that one of the guards had given him. To her surprise and annoyance the guards refused to give her one, so they had to share. Beck was quick to assert his skills at light cycle riding as he sped back towards the city.

"We're going back to the safe house, right?" she asked as he swerved past the park.

"Yeah, though I'm not looking forward to hearing what Tron will say," Beck sighed.

 _You're telling me_ , Mira thought with a roll of her eyes. She could only imagine how livid the security monitor would be when he found out they were in the games. She'd noticed how Tron managed to hide his anger, but it was easy to tell when he was worried.

Almost as soon as they reached the mountains that hid the safe house Mira felt a pull towards them. She was safe from the games for now, but it was only a matter of time before Paige or the other commander found out what she really was.

Once they were inside the room where Mira and Tron had first discussed part of her past she knew who would be waiting. Sure enough the security program was leaning against the desk that overlooked the Outlands. Beck turned the light cycle back into a baton and stared at the ground while Tron raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have any idea what sort of dangers you put yourselves in?" he demanded.

"It was my fault Tron," Mira suddenly replied. Beck looked at her in surprise, though Tron didn't look so shocked. "Beck only followed me to make sure I didn't get in any trouble."

"Going off on your own ensures that your life is in danger."

Mira only rolled her eyes at that. She barely managed to survive on her own all these cycles. Though it surprised her that Tron actually cared. Even if it was a little, it made her wonder if he knew what she was.

"Cutler was the better fighter, not me," Beck sighed. "He sacrificed himself so that we could get out."

"You survived the games with all your limbs in tack. Seems like you made it out okay." There was a hint of concern in his voice that Mira didn't miss.

"He should have won, not me," Beck grumbled. "I wasn't cut out for this whole hero thing. I failed, again."

"Really, Beck?" Mira grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "How many times are you going to have to prove yourself before realizing that you're fit for the job?"

She was tired of hearing this song and dance. After the way he fought in the games and tried to help both Rilo and Cutler, it was obvious that Beck was meant for this role. She couldn't imagine leading the revolution herself, especially given _what_ she was.

"You're friend is being held at the moment, right?" Tron suddenly looked out the window as if to hide the emotions that were becoming more obvious to Mira.

 _Maybe I'm not the only one hiding a painful past_ , she thought.

"He'll be derezzed in a cycle," Mira replied.

"Then you haven't failed, yet." Beck looked up in surprise when Tron swung around to face him.

"Can I come with him?" Mira asked when she stood beside Beck.

"You've already had enough excitement for a few microcycles," Tron replied.

"I'll tell him you're safe," Beck whispered when Mira glared.

Mira flashed Tron a glare when she realized he didn't fully trust her. Not that she didn't blame him. She didn't trust him either. Tron may be one of the greatest warriors on the Grid, but that didn't mean he was any better than someone she would meet on the street. But then she noticed the look on Beck's face and realized where Tron was getting at here. Beck was already heading for the door when she approached him.

"Tell Cutler to always keep fighting, no matter what," she told him before returning to Tron's side.

Beck grinned at her just as the door closed. Somehow she knew that Tron's plan would work. Beck was already confident in his abilities, he just needed to see that confidence himself.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

It was oddly quiet when Mira found herself resting in the upper level of Tron's safehouse. For the rest of that cycle she managed to avoid him. Her body felt numb with exhaustion as she lay sprawled out on the floor. Tron had left a bed that looked comfortable along with an energy drink, but Mira preferred sleeping on the floor. It was purely out of habit. When she was younger, she would often sleep on the cold ground outside a city building or in a cave in the Outlands.

While resting there, Mira wondered what it would be like if she was in the Real World. Often times she would find herself imagining a happy life with her parents. She would be in high school by now, probably thinking of what college to attend. It was only than that the bitter realization dawned on her. She would never see her parents' smiling faces or anyone she had become familiar with in the Real World. That part of her life was long gone.

The more she thought about it, the more she understood what risks she was taking in staying with Tron. Fighting in the Revolution meant she would eventually face Clu. That thought alone sent shivers through her.

Mira let out a sigh as she sat up. Sleep had evaded her once again. Part of her was so afraid that she would have another nightmare. By, now she was used to waking up in the middle of her sleep cycle screaming at nothing. But programs like Tron might not understand what was happening.

She wasn't in any hurry to explain where the nightmares came from. Her lack of trust in Tron only left her refusing to admit when she needed help from him. Besides, he would only reach the conclusion that she was a User. She knew that nothing good would come out of Tron discovering what she was. For now, it was better to keep that part of her life a secret.

She reached the main floor in time to see that Beck had returned from his rescue mission. To her relief, she saw that he wasn't holding Cutler's ISO emblem. Glancing at Tron, she noticed that he looked just as relieved to see that Beck had returned safely.

"Thank you… for the help," Beck said when Tron stepped out of the chamber. "We would have been captured if it wasn't for you."

Mira frowned when she realized that Tron had helped Beck during his rescue mission. She would have been angry that Tron left her out if she wasn't so exhausted. Instead, Mira settled for crossing her arms over her chest after standing near Beck.

"So are you here to continue the fight? Or are you going to give up?" Tron's gaze never left Beck as he was left to answer the question.

"I know that there are going to be drawbacks… but it's worth fighting for when it comes to freedom," Beck finally answered. He glanced at Mira, who returned the confused look. "I'm ready to continue my training."

"You've got a lot to learn," Tron said. "But that's all I ask." Mira narrowed her eyes and wondered where he was getting at with this conversation. "It's time you two started working together. I've seen what you are capable of as a team during the games."

"What exactly do you want us to do?" Mira asked.

"Simulation test." Tron walked over to the desk and grabbed a screen with images and codes that were too complex for Mira to understand. "Beck, you'll go first."

Beck looked more confused than ever until the room around them began to change. Mira moved to stand beside Tron and became even more confused. Didn't he just suggest that they start working together? What was the point of that if he wanted to test Beck first?

She said nothing as the images changed into what appeared to be a different city. A recognizer was waiting near the edge of the city, with programs being led to it. The programs themselves were in handcuffs, reminding Mira of her time spent in the coliseum. She fought back a shudder and watched as Tron began to work with the codes to begin the simulation.

Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the level of the simulation. Tron had raised the level to its highest potential. She knew that being on the field meant that programs weren't going to hold back if they were fighting for Clu. In a way, it made sense to raise the test to its highest level and push Beck to his limits. Though, that didn't make her feel any better by being left out. She herself wanted to know what her limits were, and that wasn't going to happen by being ignored.

"So what's the point of these tests if you're just going to work with Beck?" she asked warily.

She tried to keep the annoyance from seeping through her voice. If Tron caught onto it, he didn't give any indication. He just glanced at her warily after noticing how tense she was from standing near him. Watching Beck hadn't helped matters.

"You need to understand each other's weakness. Exploit those weaknesses, and find out if there is a way to fix them," Tron explained.

"That makes about as much sense as ignoring my presence entirely," she snapped under her breath.

Instead of saying it out loud so that Tron could hear, she turned to watch as Beck ran down a half-bridge to watch the programs that were being led to the recognizer.

Within microcycles, he had rezzed a light jet and flew towards the window of the recognizer. Mira was curious as to how Beck would handle the situation as he crashed into the base of the recognizer. The guards on duty were stunned, but they fought back just the same.

"I think we both know where this ends," Beck said before throwing his fist into the back of one of the guards.

The second guard was quick to join in the fight, but Beck had overpowered him.

Mira nearly rolled her eyes when Beck took off his mask. She glanced at the panel that Tron held and thought this was one mistake that would end badly. Surely revealing one's identity would lead to an even more difficult situation. One of the guards suddenly regained consciousness and looked at Beck curiously.

"Hey, I know you." Beck stiffened when the guard said that. Mira rolled her eyes once again and wondered whether or not she should point out his mistake. Instead, she remained icily silent as she waited for what would happen next. This was Tron's way of seeing whether Beck would fall for the trick as the soldier exploited his weakness. "What you don't recognize me? I'm the one who derezzed your friend, Bodhi."

This time, rage gleamed within Beck's eyes as he whirled around to face the guard, who apparently realized he'd hit a sore spot.

 _Exploiting the loss of a friend, now that's cruel_ , Mira thought. She glanced at Tron, but any emotions he had were hidden. She wondered if he felt anything at all. Regret, anger, grief. All of those emotions would be coursing through her right now if she was the one running the simulation.

"You're not going to hurt another program," Beck said when he grabbed the guard by the chest.

He was about to say something else when another guard reached for his own disk.

"You're derezzed!"

The guard swung the disk into Beck's chest when he whirled around to face him. Mira winced when she watched the simulation come to an end. The lights gave way to the room once again as Beck sighed in frustration.

"I did pretty good until then," Beck said after Tron lifted the panel once more.

"Then you got derezzed. You showed your face."

Tron's accusation confirmed Mira's fear. If it had been a real fight, then Beck would have been derezzed on the spot. No program would have regretted doing so to the Renegade.

"My mask gets itchy."

"That's a pretty poor excuse," Mira muttered under her breath after uncrossing her arms.

Beck just scowled at her when he realized what she was implying.

"You let your emotions get the best of you." Tron glanced at Mira when he heard that comment. She wasn't afraid to point out Beck's mistakes, but that didn't mean she planned on putting herself between them. "Let's go again, this time in Argon park."

"I can't, I have a job you know." Beck sounded serious this time as he folded his arms and looked out the screen. "This whole protect the system would be easier if I could tell everyone my secret."

"All that would do is put them in danger," Mira pointed out.

She thought back to what would happen if she told Tron or Beck that she was a User. She knew that it wouldn't end well for any of them. She could only imagine how shocked the programs at the garage would be if they found out Beck was the Renegade. If they found out that she was a User, there was no questioning the fact that they would turn her in within heartbeats.

"Do you want them to get derezzed as well?" Tron added warily.

Beck looked down at the floor and didn't argue this time. As much as he hated to admit it, he seemed to realize that Tron had a valid point. He knew what losing them would mean to him. They were his friends, his coworkers, and possibly the only family he knew. Losing them would hurt more than he could ever say out loud.

Mira was about to say something else when the lights suddenly flickered on and off. Her eyes widened in shock before she shook off the fear. Power outages weren't exactly common throughout the Grid, unless there were storms or high amounts of energy being depleted.

"What was that?" Beck asked.

Tron led them back towards the screen that overlooked the Outlands. Mira watched warily as codes and images flickered past until Tron gave up in his search.

"I don't know… but you'll find out."

…

Mira was practicing with her disk as she waited for Beck to return from the garage. Apparently he needed to ask for time off before going with Tron to investigate what was causing the blackouts. Mira suspected it had something to do with energy. She had seen other commanders and generals try stealing energy from cities that were occupied territory. Usually it ended in disaster with the drill exploding along with the city. Innocent programs were usually the ones who suffered the price for their selfishness.

She hadn't noticed Tron was watching until the disk returned to her waiting hand. She had taken the chance to test her skills while Beck was gone. Since Tron didn't seem keen in letting her use the simulation, this was the next best option. Mira paused in her practice and narrowed her eyes. She had managed to avoid him up until now. Confronting Tron was something she hadn't prepared herself for as she felt his gaze boring into her.

"You still don't trust me," he sighed after they stood there in awkward silence.

Mira returned to a normal stance and nodded.

"Trust is something that has to be earned," she muttered crossly. "And so far, you've done nothing to do that."

Tron looked as if he wanted to say something in his defense when he thought better of it. She was clearly not in the mood to talk about it. Especially when she heard he wasn't letting her go on the investigation. She was annoyed enough that he didn't let her go on the investigation. He'd used the poor excuse that she wasn't ready, even though he had seen she was equally capable during the games.

Once Tron had left, Mira turned to see that he left the perfect opportunity for her to slip away. Her mind was telling her to get away from this place now while she had the chance. But another part of her wanted to see whether her theory was right or not. She chose the latter.

With her light cycle in tow and light sword, she knew that she could easily defend herself if she ran into any soldiers along the way. Tron had no clue what he just unleashed.

…

It didn't take her long to reach them. Beck and Tron were hiding at the top of a bank of snow that overlooked what Mira guessed was a ditch in the distance. She hid under the snowbank while listening to them talk about what the soldiers were doing.

"I think I found the source of our blackouts," Beck said.

"Greed and stupidity; a dangerous combination."

Mira fought back the urge to laugh when Tron said that. So he actually _did_ have a sense of humor. That was surprising.

Mira peered up in time to see a Recognizer fly past them. She leaped back into the snow and covered herself until she was completely hidden. Icy cold immediately gripped her, causing her teeth to clatter as she struggled to keep herself from shivering.

"If that drill hits the energy pool…"

"We'll lose all our power," Beck finished for Tron.

"Our lives. Tesler's about to cause a massive explosion that will destroy Argon."

She wasn't surprised by that piece of news. Knowing what Tesler was doing to the city only made her angrier. Was he really that bitbrained to not realize the danger he was putting everyone in? What Tron had said earlier only confirmed her thoughts.

"So we kill the drill. So what do I have to do? Take out a few guards, blow it up?"

"You wouldn't make it."

"Hey—" Tron cut him off before he could protest.

"You wouldn't. You'll have to go through the tunnels."

"The… tunnels?" Beck had asked the question warily, as if he was hiding something.

Mira leaned forward so that she could make out what else could be heard. She wanted to make sure that she heard everything about their plan before finding some way to include herself. Tron may have been too stubborn to let her join, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep her locked up in the safehouse.

"Yes, plant this on the drill to cause a meltdown. When that bomb goes critical, make sure you're far away."

"Tron… these tunnels, the Argon race is about to take place. Inside them."

"Then go, now, stop this drill or no one will be finishing that race," Tron suddenly ordered.

Mira waited until Tron had left before making her own move. She had no doubt that he had already noticed she was missing from the safehouse. She would face whatever punishment would follow when she got back. Something told her that Beck wouldn't be able to pull this off on his own, especially if programs from the garage were involved.

Once she was certain that Tron was gone, Mira rezzed her light cycle and sped forward until she was caught up with Beck. Seeing him up close made her realize just how different he looked with the new suit. Instead of a black suit, his suit was white with white circuits and the 'T' symbol on his chest. Beck was stunned to find that she'd caught up with him.

"Mira, how did you—" She cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"I managed to get past Tron because I told you – I'm going to help no matter what," she snapped. "And don't try to stop me either, I want in on the plan."

"I wasn't planning on stopping you," Beck said sheepishly. "The drill's up ahead, let's get going."

The two of them sped up, using their light trails to gain a boost of speed. Determination kept Mira from running away. She didn't want programs to suffer from Tesler's stupid choices. In a way, she was thinking of her own treatment when Clu had captured her. She wouldn't wish the fate of being Clu's captive upon anyone.

Once they reached the tunnel that led to the drill, Beck began to climb up the ladder leading to it.

"I sure hope these things pack a punch," Beck grumbled when he pulled out bombs that Tron had given him.

"You're derezzed!"

Mira gasped when a guard swung his disk towards Beck. She reached for her light sword when Beck slammed into the ground. The guard quickly jumped down and was about to kick Beck once again when Mira swung her light sword into the guard's thigh. She avoided a side kick and jumped into the air before swinging her own leg into the guard's chest, knocking him half-way across the tunnel. A beeping noise suddenly echoed throughout the tunnel, and Mira whirled around to see that the bomb had been detonated. Beck lunged for the bomb, but the guard had managed to trip him once again. With one more roll of her eyes Mira grabbed the bomb and turned it off before it could blow up in the tunnels.

"And that's how you stop a bomb," she said when she tossed the bomb towards Beck. He'd managed to knock the guard into unconsciousness after she'd grabbed the bomb. "You sure you know what you're doing?" she added when they climbed to the top.

"Of course I do," he replied with a grin. "Come on."

He led the way across the crater, to where one of the commanders had lined up the guards. Mira recognized him as the commander who'd led them to fight to the death in the coliseum. Something about the way he spoke sent shivers through her skin. He was nothing more than a hypocritical loudmouth.

Beck gave her a look that told her to remain silent. The commander was addressing the guards as if he was the superior program. Mira rolled her eyes and glared at him until Beck pulled her behind the drill. She'd quickly learned who both of Tesler's top commanders were. And this one wasn't any better than Paige.

"Paige may have tolerated your incompetence but I won't. There's a new boss in town, and that boss is me! That's right it's me, the big cheese, the head honcho…"

Mira began to drone out his voice as he went on and on about how great of a leader he was.

 _Gee, someone doesn't have issues_ , she thought.

Beck began to climb to the top of the drill, while Mira followed. Once they reached the top he placed the bomb on the side of the drill before looking at the top of the crater. Mira saw a faint green light glowing in the distance, signaling to her that the race was about to start.

"Oh no, Zed," he grumbled.

"The race is about to start, isn't it?" she asked warily.

"Yeah, and if we don't hurry those programs will get killed," he told her.

Watching Pavel continue his rant made her stomach twist with anger. She felt sorry for the soldiers who were under his command. Even if they were doing nothing but following Tesler and Clu's orders, they didn't need to put up with someone like Pavel.

Beck was about to grab his baton when he realized too late that it was cut in half by the guard from earlier. Luckily, Mira had brought hers.

"Here, get on," Mira said.

She wasn't one to share light cycles, but she knew that Beck would need to get a move on if he wanted to stop those programs from continuing their race.

He took the lead and sped forward until they reached a bridge connecting to another tunnel. Sounds coming from the other side of the tunnel told Mira that the race had started. If they didn't work fast than all of the programs would be killed, including them.

"Ah come on, think fast." Beck was becoming more frustrated each passing nanocycle, until finally he reached for another bomb. "You might want to take a step back," he added when he threw the bomb onto the bridge.

Mira did as she was told for a change and waited until the bomb exploded before them. The bridge was taken out as piles of rubble fell onto the ground below.

"That's one way to stop them," Mira said as she looked across the tunnel's edge.

"They're still coming."

Beck focused on the light cycles that were coming in fast.

Without warning Mira jumped down from boulder to boulder until she was within striking distance of the light cycles. She had a feeling they weren't going to stop unless someone stood in their way. She'd seen how competitive people who ran light cycle races could be, and their competitiveness was usually what led to getting derezzed. The last thing she wanted was for something similar to happen at the tunnels.

"You three might want to stop this race," she said in a flat tone.

"Who in the User's world are you?"

One of the programs had pulled to a stop and stared at her in alarm. Her voice was disguised as she wore her mask. Mira wasn't surprised by their reactions – hearing about the renegades must have frightened everyone.

"And what do you care what we do?" the skinnier program with green circuits demanded.

 _Well, you got yourself into this mess. Time to make up some good excuse_ , Mira thought as she came up with a response that would forever alter her destiny.

"Who else would I be but the Renegade? And this is Tron," she explained when Beck came down to join her.

He glanced at her in confusion before shaking it off.

"There's a drill at the end of this tunnel with a bomb on it. When it goes off, an inferno will rip through these tunnels. Now go."

Beck spoke as though he had led these programs before. This time, it was Mira's turn to look impressed as she tilted her head to one side. He really was beginning to improve with his actions as the Renegade. While he didn't see it himself, she suspected that Tron and everyone else would soon begin noticing the subtle changes.

"We don't have time to be messing with you renegades," the darker-skinned program muttered. "So we'll go."

The two of them turned around and sped off, leaving behind the green-circuited program to stand there in shock. Mira had little doubt that this was Zed, the program that Beck had warned Tron about. She frowned when she noticed how annoyed he looked that they'd interfered with the race.

"But what about the race?" he cried.

"You were losing anyways!" the skinnier program called back.

"You'd better go before that bomb goes off," Mira warned him when the green-circuited program just glared at them.

Beck shot her a warning look when he noticed that she was about to say something that would make the situation worse. It wouldn't have been the first time she did something like that, and Mira doubted it would be the last time she did.

"We'd better be going too," he told her.

"A bomb, huh? I'll take care of that, thanks for the tip."

Mira whirled around to see that Paige had been listening to them. Her eyes widened when the commander sped off, heading straight for the drill and the bomb.

Mira hopped on to her light cycle and sped off before Beck could told her what to do. She wasn't about to let Paige do something so stupid. Paige may have been a commander but that didn't give Mira the right to leave her behind and get derezzed.

She was surprised to see that Beck had caught up with her already. She looked at his light cycle and saw that he had taken the program's cycle.

"Keep moving, we have to catch up with her!" Mira rolled her eyes at Beck's order and sped forward when he took the lead.

For someone who'd taken a light cycle it was surprisingly fast. She wondered if the cycle had been modified for the race. If so than maybe she could get her own light cycle modified.

"Paige, you don't know what you're doing!" Beck cried out when he rammed into Paige's light cycle.

"I'm bringing order back to the Grid. I don't think you know what _you're_ doing."

Paige managed to kick Beck out of the way before she tried speeding forward.

Frustration burned within Mira as she rezzed her light cycle forward until she was side-by-side against Paige. Soon they reached the tunnel entrance that led to the drill. Mira's eyes widened in horror when she realized that the bomb had reached critical.

Thank the Users Beck didn't know what she was. If he knew that she was a User, he would have either tried derezzing her or sent her away out of danger.

An eruption of blue flames suddenly funneled towards them. Mira cursed under her breath and followed Beck as he sped forward. Of course Paige was too stubborn to accept any help. No thanks to the commander she was putting all of their lives at risk.

Beck was gaining on Paige, using his light trail to gain extra speed. Mira followed suit, though it was difficult not to feel the heat of the flames as they tore through the tunnels. Beck suddenly reached for his disk and began drawling fractured lines.

"What are you doing?" Mira called out when she managed to catch up.

"Buying us some time," Beck replied. Paige only rolled her eyes and remained oddly quiet throughout their conversation. Mira suspected she was trying to figure out what was going on between them. "You sure you're up for this?" he suddenly asked.

"Wouldn't be the first time I've done something that risks my life," she replied with a shrug, earning a look of surprise from Paige. "Might as well at least do something useful with that risk."

He was about to say something else when the tunnel around them began to collapse. Mira pulled forward and was quickly followed by Paige as piles of rubble fell behind them.

"Keep going, it won't hold for long," Beck ordered.

Mira looked over her shoulder to see that he was right. Sure enough the inferno had blasted through the rubble. Paige was still behind them despite the speed she'd been gaining earlier.

"Your bike's not fast enough, get on."

Beck slammed his light cycle into Paige's, nearly knocking her over in the process.

"In your dreams!" Paige snapped.

"Come on bit-brain, just do what he says," Mira called over her shoulder.

Paige's eyes narrowed into tiny slits until she was pried off of her light cycle. Beck used her distraction to grab Paige before speeding forward. Relief washed over Mira when she realized that Beck had rescued Paige just in time as her light cycle was derezzed by the flames.

"I just saved your life, a thank you would be nice," Beck muttered when he fell in beside Mira.

"My life doesn't need saving!" Paige reached for her disk and was about to swing it at Beck's neck when Mira rammed into his light cycle. Paige faltered and glared before Beck grabbed his own disk. "Really, you need that?"

"It's not for you!" Beck threw his disk forward into a pile of rubble that was blocking their way. Mira saw what was coming and swerved her light cycle until she was hanging upside down. "I just saved your life, again."

Mira could almost hear the chagrin in his voice, and she nearly rolled her eyes in annoyance. Was he trying to toy with Paige and make things worse? She could already picture the commander finding some way to derezz them before they could get away out of sheer frustration.

"Let's just finish this." Paige grabbed her disk once more and was about to make another attempt at assaulting her rescuer when Beck swerved to the right.

"You may not have to," Mira told her.

She looked over her shoulder to see that the inferno was closing in fast. Up ahead was another tunnel, and she prayed to the Users above that it was an escape.

Suddenly Beck pulled on the breaks when he reached the end of the tunnel. Mira jumped down to join him, nearly slamming her light cycle near the edge of the ledge. Beck had tossed Paige aside and came to a stop before looking back at Mira.

"See you around," he said before speeding forward.

"Have fun with Tesler!" Mira shouted and followed Beck.

Soon they came to a stop near the city's edge and Beck pulled off his mask. Mira grinned when she pulled her own mask off.

"That was fun," she said. "I have a feeling that Tron won't be too pleased when we come back."

"Well, it was good having backup when I needed it," Beck replied with a sheepish grin. "Thanks for helping me."

Mira only shrugged and looked away, suddenly feeling uneasy around him. She knew that Tron would give her an earful when they returned. But at least they had stopped the drill, and saved Paige's life in the process. Something told her the commander wouldn't be so thankful, but it was the least they could do.

* * *

 **AN: There's chapter six. I only just realized this story in general is going to be shorter chapter wise. Depending on where I go with it ;) I may or may not add more content in the end.**

 **Panda Bear Lover 317 - Thanks for that awesome review! And don't worry, all will be explained in the near future. I plan on rewriting Isolated in a way it makes more sense (I feel like it was rather vague in the original), so readers will have that to look forward to :)**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

They had returned to the safehouse with little to no conversation by the end of that cycle. Mira knew that she was in for a speech when they returned. Her stunt with Beck had nearly cost them both their lives, and Tron wasn't about to let her get away with it. At the end of their journey they had watched Tesler rile of the citizens of Argon by telling them it was the work of the Renegades that had caused the blackouts.

It was clever of them, actually, to use the renegades as an excuse for the blackouts. Tesler would never admit that he was foolish enough to try and drain all of the energy from Argon. She had a feeling he wasn't even smart enough to come up with a plan like this. Something told her it was Paige who had suggested this little announcement. Now their faces were plastered across all the screens in Argon as WANTED posters.

 _There's no backing out of this now_ , she realized.

Being the renegade came with a heavy price. Mira had understood the moment she agreed to Tron's offer that she was taking a huge risk. After everything she had been through over the last few xilacycles, it seemed almost natural to fight back. At least this time, she wouldn't be alone during her fight. Beck might not have been keen on letting Tesler plaster his face all over the city, but it meant that they had begun making a name for themselves.

She was exhausted by the time they returned to the safehouse. Beck had gone back to the garage after she asked him to give her light cycle a speed boost like his. Having something like that would be a huge advantage on the field, and Beck was all too happy to oblige.

Once she was alone, Mira looked at her reflection on the upper level of the safehouse. The more she studied her appearance, the more she realized how much she had changed over the last few cycles. Her once lean body had become more muscle-toned. The patchwork the medics had done were still visible, but only just. Mira didn't want anyone noticing the scars that covered her entire body. Some were more visible than others, and if Tron knew about them, he would make a wild guess as to what she was. Letting out a sigh, Mira decided to get some rest before the next big adventure happened. Being sleep deprived was never a good thing.

…

The sound of voices echoing in the background were what woke Mira from her sleep. Her eyes snapped open as she recognized Beck and Tron's voices down below. Sitting up, she stretched her arms and guessed that something must be up. Judging from their conversation, it was something serious.

After the little display shown by Tesler and his commanders, Mira doubted Beck would let it sit. He didn't want his image plastered all over the city in a bad way. It was too late to go back and turn the time. As much as Beck hated to admit it, they were both sucked into whatever battle they had against Tesler. The only consolation she had was that they would free the city from Tesler's reign. Taking back one city at a time sounded like a lot of work, but the rewards would be worth it once they managed to stop Clu once and for all.

She ran down the stairs to see Beck fumbling around with a fake identity disk. Mira rose an eyebrow at the sight as she wondered what had happened to Beck's identity disk. Having a fake one only meant that he'd either lost it, or that it had been stolen. Tron was fumbling around with his own identity disk until he noticed Mira's arrival. She frowned when he looked back at Beck, who was still trying to figure out how a fake disk was any better than the real thing.

"It doesn't work," he announced after sighing in annoyance.

"That's because it's a fake. You'll need a temporary disk until we find your real one, or Tesler's guards will pick you off the streets as a stray."

Tron's words sent shivers of unease down Mira's spine.

She remembered what Gem had told her when she was brought to Castor before anyone else could find her. It was Castor who gave her an identity disk, explaining that she would have been picked off the street as a stray had anyone else found her. She had been thankful that someone was at least willing to help her. Castor had been like a caregiver, teaching her the ways of the Grid and how to survive on her own if it ever came to that.

At the time, she never knew that Castor was just trying to find a way to exploit her.

"You lost your disk," she muttered in an accusing tone.

"I didn't lose it… someone took it," he grumbled.

Mira rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She highly doubted it had been as simple as someone taking it. Beck had to have been doing something stupid to allow that to happen. She frowned when she realized that a stolen identity disk also meant that his life and anyone he was close to could be in danger.

"You just _let_ someone take it?" she demanded.

Beck was about to make a retort when Tron placed his disk on his back.

"We've lost valuable time already," he told them in a tone that suggested he wasn't in the mood for arguments. "If we don't get your disk back you _will_ become a stray, and the Uprising will be lost."

"Okay, where do we start looking?" Beck asked.

"Purgos," Mira replied, earning a look of surprise from Tron. "What? You think I'm not aware of what goes on in a dangerous city?" she asked with a shrug. Purgos was an infamous city littered with gangs and clubs. She'd had a bad run-in with Clu's soldiers, which landed her in Argon City. Though, that had technically been her own fault. She'd been desperate when she looked for light cycles, and one shop in particular had one sitting out in the open. She'd taken the light cycle baton without a second thought, not realizing it was meant for the light cycle grid rather than the Outlands. "I know the city like the back of my hand."

Then again, she knew most of the cities throughout the Grid like the back of her hand. Having lived on the Grid for as long as she did, it gave her the chance to explore every city she could. It wasn't as if she'd had anything better to do once she was freed from Clu's coliseum.

"Then you're coming with us," Tron replied after giving it some thought.

Mira's shoulders sagged in relief. If Beck really had lost his disk, then they would need to work together to get it back. While she wasn't looking forward to that, she knew how important it was for a program to have their disk. The last thing she wanted was for him to turn into a stray. They were only just beginning to get to know one another. As selfish as it sounded, she didn't want to lose the only program she was slowly beginning to learn how to trust.

"By the way, Zed finished your light cycle upgrade," Beck added before they got ready to leave.

Mira eyed him in surprise when he tossed her the baton she had entrusted him with. She had asked Beck if he could get Zed to upgrade her light cycle with that speed boost after seeing what it could do in the tunnels. Not for the first time, Mira was thankful that Beck and his friends were mechanics who knew what they were doing. The fact that Zed was willing to give her light cycle an upgrade told her that Beck hadn't been truthful with him.

"Remind me to thank him for that," she said with a knowing smirk.

As they sped through the city and arrived in Purgos, Mira was thinking back to what Tron had said about Beck becoming a stray. She had heard many stories about strays. They were programs who had lost their disks and memory. It was a glitch that Flynn never had the chance to fix.

Tron had led them through several shops while asking the keepers for missing identity disks. Of course none of them wanted to admit that they were holding any. Experience taught her that these shopkeepers or owners would be smart enough not to tell the truth.

They were losing valuable time by the fifth shop they had visited. This one was just as dingy looking as the rest, if not worse. A thick layer of dust covered the shelves and objects the owner was selling. Mira noticed that some of them were old antiques like Bits and light cycle parts. Most of the shops catered to the black market, which sold goods and such that wouldn't normally be seen in other shops. She hadn't missed the fact that Tron was interrogating each shop owner, trying to see whether or not they were telling the truth. Most of them had been on edge, while others confidently explained they didn't sell identity disks.

"I'm sorry, did you say you're looking for _identity disks_?" a program with flabby skin around his face and an obnoxiously large nose asked.

Even his voice sounded obnoxious. Mira was already on edge over being in the shop, but seeing the cold look he was giving her before Tron had asked him made things worse.

A shiver of unease swept through her when she noticed the way he kept looking at all three of them. He didn't maintain eye contact with Tron during their little chat. He was hardly interested in their conversation, but Mira could see that he was watching their every move. All she wanted was to slip away before the program did something that he would regret.

While Tron interrogated the shop owner Beck fumbled around through the items that were for sale. He stopped when the owner scoffed in disbelief.

"I don't know about you, but I run a clean shop here. I'm sorry, you'll have to search elsewhere."

Tron let out a sigh of frustration and was about to ask something else when Beck stepped in.

"Please, we've been to five shops already. If you have any information at all, it would be helpful," he insisted.

Mira almost bit back a retort at what Beck had said. This program was obviously running in the black market. He had a look about him that made her skin crawl with disgust. She knew he couldn't be trusted, and judging by the dirty looks he was giving her, she was right about him.

"I can see you're desperate. Let me talk with some of the programs around here, see if they have anything to say."

The program stood up when Tron leaned forward.

"We'll come with you."

"Alone," the keeper insisted. "Sorry, it's just the way I roll. There's an energy canteen around the corner. I'll meet you there. You know it's a good thing you've found me. In Purgos, you can't trust anyone."

His eyes narrowed before he backed away slowly from the window.

"I wouldn't trust anyone with a nose as huge as his, or the creepy way he just left us," Mira scoffed under her breath, earning a smirk from Beck.

Not to mention, his shop was anything but clean. She could see from the look written across his face that Kobol had been hiding something. His shifty gaze and the way he acted around Tron's questioning only confirmed what she thought of the sleazy program.

 _He's nothing more than a con-artist, and he's likely part of one of the gangs around here_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes.

"He was lying," Tron grumbled once they were outside.

"You mean Kobol? He's the only source we have!"

Beck sounded more annoyed than anything else. How could Beck be so ignorant? Mira was all too aware of the gangs that littered Purgos. If that program was part of a gang, then he would have already alerted everyone else. It meant they had lost whatever advantage they had over everyone in the city. And it also meant that their lives would be in danger if the rest of the city knew they were looking for identity disks.

"If it's a source at all. Beck in case we don't find your disk I need to prepare you for the memory loss."

Tron's helmet suddenly receded when he swung around to face them. Mira raised an eyebrow curiously. She couldn't imagine what would happen if Beck turned into a stray. There was a real possibility that they could lose him if they didn't find his disk.

"This should be fun," Beck sighed.

"It's a glitch, it comes without warning, one moment you're normal and the next, you can't even remember your own name. But you'll recover, the first few times."

Beck looked more focused than ever when he heard that.

"And after the first few times?"

"Permanent amnesia. You won't remember who you are."

"Well it's not going to come to that. We're going to find my disk and the program that did this to me." This time, Beck sounded more serious than before.

Mira bit the bottom of her lip as she wondered what she would do if that did happen. Worry clouded her thoughts until she heard the sound of footsteps. Instinct kicked in as her mask covered her face. She wasn't in any hurry to let gangs take advantage of her. Beck and Tron were fully capable of fending them off, but without his identity disk, there was a risk that Beck would suffer from a glitch.

"I think we're being followed," she whispered.

"More like surrounded," Beck said when Tron's helmet hid his own face.

"Let me handle this," Tron said when Mira reached for her disk. "We don't want any trouble. We're just passing through."

"You've passed through our territory, and you'll pay for trespassing," one of the larger programs growled.

It was obvious who the large program was. Mira's eyes narrowed with hate as she recognized Kobol's voice, disguised as it was. She didn't know why Tron or Beck didn't pick up on that. But one thing she did know was that Kobol wouldn't survive this fight if he really was part of this gang.

Almost at once the fighting broke out. Tron was fighting four programs at once, but he could easily defend himself. Mira found herself facing two programs at once. Their laughter was enough to send fire through her veins as she grabbed her disk and swung it into the first program.

One of them suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and chuckled as she immediately struggled from his grip. She managed to writhe around long enough that she was almost loose from his grip when it tightened around her wrist, nearly lifting her from the ground.

"Looks like we've found ourselves a little bird," he sneered. "We're gonna teach you a lesson, kid!"

Before the program could make his move, Beck was on him in an instant. Mira gasped in thanks when the program was knocked unconscious. She was about to thank him when his eyes widened in shock.

"Who are you? Who am I?" he shouted.

 _Oh Users, not now_! Mira thought desperately.

"Come on Beck, snap out of it!" she cried.

She tried to look for Tron in the crowd of programs, but he was too preoccupied with the programs that had surrounded him. Her heart raced with dread as she tried to figure out a way to snap Beck out of his trance-like state. The problem was, the gang already seemed aware that Beck was suffering from a glitch.

"Take them."

The program that had uttered those first words stood out in the crowd. Mira's fists clenched when she realized he'd let his crones do the dirty work for him.

She was about to say something back when a program dressed in a white shall jumped down from the buildings above. Her eyes widened in disbelief when the program slammed her boots into the face of the leader. She threw what looked like a bomb at the ground and grabbed Beck by the wrist.

"Come on!" she ordered.

Mira didn't bother asking the program who she was. She ran after her and realized that Tron was following. They didn't stop running until they reached a latter. The female program was the first to climb, then Tron followed. Mira was last to climb up, and she was thankful that she had a chance to rest.

"I think I had my first memory glitch," Beck announced as Tron helped him up.

"We should keep moving." Tron sounded indifferent despite what had happened.

"Gee, I'm so glad you're concerned," Beck scoffed.

"I think that's his way of saying he's worried," Mira whispered.

Beck grinned back at her before he looked at the female program that had helped them.

She rolled her eyes when the program lifted her shall. She was a slim, pretty looking program – a siren. She had short brown hair and very pale blue eyes. Mira had never seen a program quite like this before. She looked nothing like the sirens Mira had seen before.

The siren's eyes fell upon Mira, and a shudder ran through her. Either Tron and Beck were really dense, or they just didn't notice. Mira was annoyed with the way everyone kept staring at her like she was some kind of alien. She knew that she stuck out like a sore thumb when on the run. And it didn't take long for programs to guess that something was different about her. She just hoped that the siren wouldn't figure out that she was a User.

"Why did you help us?" Tron demanded once he too got a good look at the program.

"Because you needed it. You're welcome by the way. My name's Lux." She glanced at Mira before looking back at Tron.

"My name's Beck… these are… friends of mine," Beck replied, gesturing to Mira and Tron.

The look Tron gave him was priceless. Mira was just thankful Beck hadn't given her name away.

"I've seen programs like you before Beck," Lux whispered.

"What kind of programs?" Mira demanded coldly.

"Strays."

The word sent shivers down Mira's spine. Somehow she had a feeling that Lux knew all too well what strays were like. Maybe Lux had a thing for strays – sending them to Clu to get repurposed. As she tried to mask her emotions, she caught Lux glancing at her every now and then.

"I'm not a stray yet," Beck insisted.

"You will be if you keep wandering around like that. I know my way around Purgos. I can help you," Lux told them.

 _I know this city as well as you do_ , Mira told herself. _We don't need your help_. It seemed as though she had no say in the matter as Lux flew down the building. Beck looked more impressed than ever with Lux's lithe figure.

"If I'm losing my memory than I'm glad she's the last thing I'll see," Beck said before following her.

"Focus Beck."

Tron sounded irritated with Beck's sudden interest in Lux. Mira could imagine he'd rolled his eyes at that moment.

…

Kobol didn't tell them that the energy canteen was actually a club. Music blasted from the background as Mira sat across from Tron, who had ordered a drink. He insisted that she drink something herself after the fight with those gang members. She wasn't in the mood for a drink though.

"I don't like this one bit," she grumbled as she leaned against her seat.

"Lux or Kobol?" Tron was more focused on the music than her, but she didn't mind.

"Both. Something about them just puts me on edge," she explained after glaring at Lux pointedly. "Kobol especially. The way he spoke… it reminds me too much of Pavel."

She didn't want to add the fact that he sounded like Tron when they first met. They were only just reaching a point where she felt slightly comfortable talking to him. Tron was aware that she didn't trust him. While he didn't understand why, he at least didn't try questioning her like other programs would.

Tron nodded and left it at that. Mira was about to say something else when Lux returned from asking around for news on missing disks.

"Well I've just asked programs if they've heard about missing disks," she sighed. "It seems they know nothing about it."

"And Kobol's a no-show," Beck muttered.

"Beck, there's a program over there that's been staring at you since we've gotten here," Tron suddenly said.

Mira hadn't even noticed the program in the corner of the club. He was giving Beck an odd look, like he knew something he shouldn't. He had black hair that lengthened to his ears. Mira's eyes narrowed into tiny slits when he suddenly stood up.

"I think that's the program that conned me," Beck announced.

"His name's Galt, a small-time thief," Lux explained.

 _And just how do you know that_? Mira wanted to demand. She didn't bother asking it out loud though. Galt was already half way out of the building when they reached him. He was trying desperately to open the door and make a getaway before they reached him.

"Galt!" He gasped when Beck shouted his name. "I didn't get your name… when you were stealing my disk!"

"Uh, I… I don't know what you're talking about!" Galt stammered. "What disk?"

"It looks a lot like this." Tron swung his disk against Galt's throat, and the program gulped.

"Alright I'll talk!" Mira forced back a grin when the program panicked. "I already gave it away… but the program I sold it to isn't as friendly as you guys. Everyone's going to know who you are, Rena—"

He was cut off when a disk suddenly slammed through the door. Before Galt knew what was happening he derezzed on the spot. Mira's eyes widened in disbelief when she realized what had happened. The program that did this fled on a light cycle.

Tron slammed the door apart and leaped onto his own light cycle. Mira and Beck followed suit, along with Lux who was close behind. Mira sped forward without warning and slammed into the light cycle the program was using. It was the same program that had led the gang members after them.

 _And can those two be any more blind_? she wondered. How could Tron of all programs not realize that this was the same program?

She tried not to think about it as she glowered at the program, who she knew was Kobol in disguise. He glared back at her and tried to knock her off of her cycle. She dodged the kick and reached for her disk. Before she could attack however Beck managed to catch up and slammed into Kobol's other side.

"Don't let him out of your sight!" he shouted.

 _No duh_ , Mira thought with a roll of her eyes. She was about to say something sarcastic when Beck's eyes widened. She realized what was happening and pulled the breaks on her light cycle. Tron and Kobol had taken the lead while Lux stayed behind.

"Beck, focus!" Lux told him.

It was too late however. Mira gasped when Beck rolled off of his light cycle, sending it into the light ribbon that Kobol had created. Her fists clenched together when she realized that he'd had another memory glitch. Tron pulled to a stop and spun around when he realized what had happened, letting Kobol get away.

"How many more glitches does he have?" Mira whispered when Tron reached them.

"Too few left," he replied.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Mira was more than annoyed with Lux's behavior as she led them to her apartment. She acted as if she was high and mighty and seemed to know Purgos almost as well as Mira herself. The apartment itself was big – much larger than Mira was expecting in a city like this. She could already imagine how expensive the rent was. Though, if Lux was anything like Mira suspected, she had her ways of finding the payment for such an apartment.

What bothered her more than anything was how Beck seemed to moon over Lux. The program was pretty, sure. But there was something about her sent shivers through Mira. It wasn't the same as Kobol, but it was close enough. She wasn't sure whether it was jealousy or something else that made Mira hate Lux so much. Either way, she didn't like the situation they were in. Something about the way Beck mooned over Lux just put her further on edge.

She had seen enough programs in her lifetime on the Grid take advantage of those without identity disks. Lux seemed like the kind of program who would do just that. With Beck in such a vulnerable state, she couldn't bring herself to trust the siren who claimed she was helping them. She found herself wondering if Tron had begun reaching the same conclusion. Judging from the distance he put between himself and Lux, the feelings were mutual.

"Nice place, how did you get it?" Mira asked when Lux used a tool to keep Beck's memory glitches at bay.

 _Something tells me that she's doing everything but helping_ , she added silently while keeping an eye on the siren. The device that she used seemed to read whatever data was available on the glitch Beck suffered from. According to Lux, it was a device that helped stabilize the glitch for a few more pectrocycles. Though, Mira had a feeling that the device was just for show. Lux wasn't a medic who could fix the problem at hand with the snap of her fingers.

"I have my ways," Lux replied after running diagnostics. "I'm afraid this is all I can do until we find your disk."

Lux stood up and left them alone for the time being. Mira narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She wished there was a way to describe the emotion she was feeling whenever she glared at Lux. Something was just _off_ about her. The only thing she could do was keep her own distance from the siren. Lux kept giving her a cold look every now and then when she moved from one side of the apartment to the other. Tron was occupied with the disk that had once belonged to Galt. Since they managed to recover it from when he was derezzed, it was better evidence than having nothing at all.

"Did you find anything on Galt?" Beck asked when he stood beside Tron.

"He was a scum, but that's no surprise. I _did_ however find when he took your disk," Tron replied.

Suddenly, Beck's eyes blanked out, and Mira stiffened when she realized too late that he was facing another memory glitch. Tron had already warned her that he had too many memory glitches to begin with. There was a very real possibility that this one could be more severe.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Beck, it's you." Tron glanced at him in confusion until he too realized what was happening.

"Who's Beck? Who are you?" Panic sounded from Beck's voice and he took a step back.

"Snap out of it Beck!" Mira shouted.

"Stay with us."

Tron was about to place a hand on his shoulder when a staff was swung into his back. Mira bit back a cry of shock when he fell on the floor. She was about to rush in and help when she too felt a jolt in her system. She whirled around to see the rogue program that had derezzed Galt standing in the room.

"Like I said, in Purgos, you can't trust anyone," he chuckled when his mask receded.

Mira's vision began to blur when she too fell on the floor. Kobol's face was the last thing she saw before blacking out.

…

"His helmet won't come off!"

Lux's voice brought Mira back to reality as she struggled to free herself from her restraints. She realized that she and Tron had been handcuffed to a railing, while Beck stood beside Kobol and waited impatiently. The jealousy she felt towards Lux earlier had been replaced with fury.

 _I should have known they were working together_! she thought bitterly. The connections had been too obvious. Seeing Lux stand so close to Kobol after trying to pry off Tron's mask only confirmed Mira's worst fear.

"Just leave them, we have more important things to worry about. You see that ship over there? That's your home," Kobol explained when Beck glanced at him in confusion.

"Beck that's a light for the military. He's taking you to be derezzed!" Tron struggled to free himself from the restraints as well, but to no avail.

"I'm part of the military," Beck told them.

"Beck snap out of it!"

Even if she sounded like a broken record, Mira wanted nothing more than to snap Beck out of the glitch he was suffering from. The last thing she wanted was to see him turn into a stray. Not after everything they had been through already.

"Don't listen to them. You're a soldier for Tesler's army; you've just lost your disk."

Lux sounded like a mother soothing her child – a sound that sent shivers of rage through Mira. These programs had taken advantage of them. To make matters worse, Lux had taken advantage of Beck's memory glitch when they were caught off guard. She would have loved smacking the smug look written across her face, along with Kobol's. Anything was better than watching them at that moment.

Beck glanced at Lux before nodding in agreement.

"Beck they're both lying!" Tron's shouts became more desperate, and this time Kobol whirled around and reached for his disk.

Mira felt her blood run cold when Kobol glared at them. She could see the look of malice in his eyes as he activated his disk and hovered it in front of their faces.

"I've had enough of you!" Kobol snapped and suddenly slapped Mira across the face. Kobol stumbled back a little when he realized something was wrong. Mira hadn't even flinched when he slapped her. By now, she was used to the treatment programs had given her on the Grid. But that wasn't what had stunned him, or Tron for that matter. She grimaced at the fact that his hand had left a little cut on her cheek, fresh blood seeping from the wound. "A User… and all this time I thought the renegade was more than enough. Imagine what Clu will say when he sees you."

She only glared at him as he got ready to strike again. She barely noticed Tron struggling against his restraints. Her mind was spinning with thoughts of how to break free of this horrible nightmare. She already had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach of what Clu would do once he got his hands on her again. A shiver of dread swept through her at the thought. Lux was the one who had stopped Kobol from attacking by grabbing his arm.

"If you derezz them, you'll lose Beck's trust," she warned him, glancing warily at Mira as she glared back.

The faith in her voice made her stomach lurch with disgust. Something told her that Lux trusted Kobol far more than she should. Kobol wrenched his arm away and looked as if he was ready to break Lux's arm when he thought better of it. Not for the first time, Mira found herself wondering how a program like Lux could have gotten herself wrapped up in this mess. It was more than likely that she wanted out of whatever predicament had been worse. Kobol just had a better payment offer than whatever job she had been performing before.

"Keep an eye on them," he snarled. "I'll deal with you later."

"A User?" Mira flinched at the accusing tone in Tron's voice. She suddenly wished a hole would open up and swallow her. For so long, she had avoided telling anyone what she was, and now she was facing the consequences. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Maybe because you didn't need to know," she snapped through gritted teeth.

For a moment, it looked as if Tron was stunned by her response. She had her reasons for not trusting him. He hadn't even known she was on the Grid when she followed Flynn. How could he have known? She was almost as insignificant as a speck of dust on the Grid. She had already learned cycles ago where she stood on the Grid. If other programs discovered she was a User, they also wouldn't hesitate to turn her in just for the reward Clu would offer them.

Tron seemed to contemplate on whether it was worth demanding more answers when he thought better of it. Instead, he focused his attention on Lux, who had stepped aside while trying to comprehend the fact that she had captured a User. Mira suspected she was thinking of what sort of payment Kobol would get for turning in a User to Clu. Especially with the shared past they had. Mira had little doubt Clu would pay her well.

"Lux you have to let us go! Kobol's taking Beck to be derezzed!"

Lux glared at Tron coldly, then her expression softened when she looked down at the ground.

"No, repurposed," she told them. "I was to take you and Beck around until he trusted me… and it worked." She shrugged and looked away once more.

"Free me. Kobol's almost derezzed me, he's going to derezz you too." Tron's voice became more serious as he focused on Lux.

Mira didn't miss the look Lux was giving her. She only glared back. If this program thought she was going to take advantage of her, she was dead wrong.

"No, you're wrong. Kobol would never derezz me. He loves me." Lux sounded like she was trying to convince herself as she glared at Tron once more.

"Who is it you're trying to convince?"

This time Lux rubbed her wrist. Mira looked away as she thought of what would happen if they didn't reach Beck in time. She knew the end results wouldn't be pretty. Suddenly Lux reached for her disk and drew it out. Mira closed her eyes and waited for the pain that would follow.

She was surprised when Lux suddenly freed them both.

"Go now, before it's too late," she told them. "I believed in the Users once. Maybe it's time I stayed with that belief."

Her response almost made Mira gape in shock. She'd never heard a program say that to a User. Especially a User like her. The look Tron gave her told Mira that this was far from over. She winced at the thought of facing his wrath when they returned to the safehouse.

Luckily, it didn't take either of them long to reach the platform where a Recognizer was also arriving. Mira's eyes widened in horror as she realized they only had a short window of opportunity. Those guards would take Beck away if they didn't get there in time.

"There you see Beck? You'll be home soon," Kobol said in his slimy voice.

"Step away from him Kobol."

Mira grabbed her disk and drew it out, ready for the fight of her life.

"Is _this_ the disk you're looking for?" Kobol suddenly grabbed two disks from his back and shoved Beck aside.

"Two against one, I don't see how that's fair," Mira said when she glared at Kobol. "And I knew you were a snake from the start."

Kobol leaped into the air and was about to knock Tron aside when he dodged and grabbed Kobol by the foot. Mira was about to join in the fight when she felt someone slam into her. She gasped in surprise when her breath was knocked out of her lungs.

"Beck you have to snap out of it," she shouted when she caught her breath.

"Imagine what I can do with both the Renegade and a User!" Kobol was taunting as he struggled to dodge blows dealt by Tron.

 _I won't ever let your grimy hands touch me again_! Mira thought angrily. She would have shouted that if it wasn't for the situation. Her distraction gave Beck enough time to reach for Kobol's light sword. Mira felt her blood run cold when he raised the sword in her direction.

That was when Tron managed to pin Kobol to the ground. Tron was ready to raise his disk for the final blow when Beck had noticed and turned to face them both.

 _Beck, why can't you snap out of this_? Mira wondered as she prepared for the worst. It was difficult figuring out who was more important to save. If Beck decided to try and derezz the one program he looked up to, it would be game over. Mira knew that Beck would never recover his memories if he followed Kobol's orders.

"Derezz him he's the enemy!" Kobol commanded.

"Beck, I know you're there. Killing isn't in your programming," Tron rasped. "You're stronger than that."

Before Mira knew what was happening, the mask that hid his face receded.

For a moment, silence filled the platform as Kobol stared at Tron in utter shock. Beck had dropped the light staff, unable to comprehend what just happened. Everyone believed that Tron was dead. Just another lie that Clu had spread across the Grid. Mira used the momentary distraction to grab Beck's disk while Kobol was too stunned to react.

"I may have had the renegade, but now I have Tron!" Kobol shouted as he swiped his disk at Tron, clearly outmatched in the long-run. Mira took the opportunity to toss Beck his disk.

"Catch!" Just in time, Beck caught his disk. Any nanocycle later and he would have suffered permanent amnesia.

While Beck was recovering from his memory loss, Mira pulled out her light sword and whipped it across Kobol's stomach, catching him by surprise. The slimy program let out a choking noise as he lurched forward in pain from the sudden impact.

"That's for revealing my secret!" she shouted, lashing out several times until Kobol was on his knees.

She wasn't sure why she was so angry. But taking her anger out on Kobol was better than nothing. Especially after everything he had done to them. Just when she thought he was finished, Kobol suddenly had a creepy smile on his face and tripped her with his legs. Her teeth ground together in pain as Kobol got ready to deliver the final blow.

"Guess what? I'm back," Beck announced when Kobol managed to knock her aside. Tron was still struggling to get up when Beck kicked Kobol in the chest. The program was sent flying across the platform. Once Kobol was taken down, Beck went over to Tron's side while Mira struggled to stand up again. "We need to get out of here," he said when he helped Tron up.

"We can't just leave Kobol here," Tron said through a strained voice. "He knows your identity."

Mira flinched when she noticed Tron had only said Beck's identity. She wondered for a moment if he would tell Beck about his latest discovery. Something told her that wasn't going to likely happen. She hardly trusted Tron as it was without him revealing her secret to Beck.

"Then we take him with us," Beck replied.

"I'm sorry, take me where?"

Mira let out a disgusted scoff when he latched a handcuff around Beck's wrist and began laughing.

She was about to knock him unconscious when a disk flew in his direction. Kobol screamed in surprise at the sudden impact, and seconds later he was derezzed on the spot. She and Tron looked up in surprise t see Lux jumping down to meet them. Surprise swept through Mira when she realized that Lux was willing to step in and face the consequences for her actions. Despite the fact that she had seemed convinced otherwise, it was obvious that seeing Tron's face had changed her mind.

"You being alive changes everything," Lux whispered. The recognizer had landed on the platform, and guards were pouring out of it. "No, we can't let them catch either of you." She looked at Mira before handing her a disk. "Take this and destroy it," she ordered.

Beck looked at Mira in confusion when Lux had mentioned 'either of you'. She knew she would have to tell him the truth sooner or later.

The siren had jumped ahead of them and landed in the middle of the guards. Mira gasped when she realized that Lux's disk was with Kobol's. It didn't take her long to figure out what Lux was planning. If the guards managed to snag her disk along with Kobol's, they would know that Tron was alive. To make matters worse, they would have known that she was with him. She knew nothing good would come out of that outcome.

"Her disk, no!" Beck cried out when Tron pushed him forward.

"She wants us to escape Beck, keep going."

Despite what Lux was doing, and that Beck wanted nothing more than to help, Tron sounded forceful as he pried Beck away from the platform. Mira followed without hesitation as she thought of what Lux had really done for them.

 _She's sacrificing herself for our freedom_ , she reminded herself. Now guilt washed over Mira as she stood near Beck, whose eyes widened in dismay as he watched the scene unfold before them.

Lux had jumped into the middle of the crowd, using her light staff for defense. The guards were quick to overpower her though, and slammed a disk into her chest. Mira closed her eyes when she realized that she couldn't watch.

A foreboding silence had fallen upon them as they fled from Purgos. Mira knew that she wouldn't forget what Lux had done for them. Even though she hated Lux for following Kobol, Lux had fought for them in the end.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Tron said once they had reached a pool of energy.

She didn't bother responding as Tron dropped Lux's disk into the pool. The solemn silence that followed was just another reminder that they had lost another valuable companion. Seeing the look on Beck's face only made her feel that much worse. Mira had long since understood that this was a program's way of making sure the memory of a friend would always live on.

Lux had surprised Mira in the end. She wasn't expecting the siren to stand up for Tron or a User. Perhaps what Tron had said got to her head. Either way, Lux had saved them. It didn't make things any better for the fact that Kobol had revealed her true identity.

"She was a hero," Beck whispered.

"She sacrificed herself so that we could get away. That was who Lux really was," Tron finished as the pixels of her disk faded into the air.

This was the first time Mira had ever seen a disk fade away like that. She hoped that it was the last time she would have to see someone fade away like that.

…

Mira was dreading the moment she got back to the safehouse with Tron. She knew that she would have to explain herself sooner or later. The sick feeling in her stomach only made things worse. She was hoping to find a way to avoid the security program at all costs. But the moment they had gotten back was when she found herself facing an interrogation.

"Look, I didn't tell you I was a User for many reasons," she explained after getting chewed out for not telling him in the first place. This was just one of the many reasons; she didn't want anyone treating her differently. "One, I don't trust you. Two, I've been at this longer than you probably even realize. Three, I just don't care."

"How long have you been on the Grid?" Tron asked, clearly annoyed with her response.

"For about ten User years, give or take," she replied with a shrug. "Probably longer. It's hard to tell the difference between Grid time and User time, but I've got the basics down."

She could see that Tron was trying to figure out how she managed to evade him or Flynn for so long. Even she didn't know how she had gotten so lucky. Or unlucky. She wasn't sure now. Maybe it would have been better if Flynn had found her. Than she could somehow find a way back home. But she knew now that would never happen. This was reality, and she would have to face it sooner or later.

"Look, we can stand here all day in awkward silence or move on," she added in an icy tone, not missing the look Tron was giving her.

She couldn't tell whether he was amused or angry by the way she acted. His emotions were almost impossible to read or understand. She did her best to keep her own emotions hidden. While programs generally didn't show emotions like Users, it was easy to see that they could express what they were _feeling_.

"Fine. I'll let you go on missions with Beck, but only if you can do one thing for me," Tron decided after giving it some thought. Mira rose an eyebrow as she waited for whatever he would have to say. "I want your trust."

The first thought running through her mind was 'no'. Mira narrowed her eyes for a moment before making her decision. Tron had trusted Beck enough to show his face and reveal that he was alive. Maybe it was time she started trusting as well.

"Alright, we have a deal."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

She wasn't sure how she ended up getting lost in the arcade. Call it fate or luck, but something had drawn her to one of her favorite games. Today was one of the few days her foster parents actually brought her to the best spot in the city. She would always spend whatever free time she had watching others play these games. But this time she could actually play them herself.

They were never the kind of people who liked letting kids play video games. She quickly learned that they preferred making sure their foster kids were well-behaved. Though, she never seemed to satisfy them enough with their view on how kids her age should act. The only reason they hadn't taken her back to the orphanage was because they seemed aware that she would never likely be adopted. She had long-since given up the hope that she would one day find a real family to adopt her.

One game in particular always seemed to call her attention. Sometimes Kevin Flynn himself could often be seen playing the game against other players or spending time with his customers. This time though, he was alone as she got closer. Curiosity had gotten the better of her as she tried to see what he was doing with the game. She knew that it was probably nothing that would catch her attention. But the closer she got, the more interested she became.

"Alright, adjust that and…" He looked around warily, and she hid behind another game. She assumed that he was making sure that no one was watching. "See ya around kiddos."

Curiosity was all it took for her to follow him. Her foster parents were off somewhere talking to other adults while waiting for her to return. She doubted they would be in any hurry to find her again, so she had plenty of time to see what he was up to.

She followed him down what appeared to be a set of stairs to what she assumed was the basement. Only this wasn't like the basement where she lived. This one was cold and dingy looking, with cement floors when she reached the bottom. What really made it different though was the fact that Flynn had a large strange looking structure in front of him. She wasn't even sure what the thing was meant for, but something told her it was important.

That was when she noticed a red light flashing in the room. Panic set in fast as she made a run for it – in the wrong direction. She was blinded by fear as she ran straight for the light that engulfed her body. In a split second, the world flashed around her. That was when her life had changed forever.

…

Mira woke with a start. Her hands were trembling as she stared at the ceiling, struggling to comprehend what just happened. Though it had been a while since her last nightmare, she knew after Kobol's attack that one might happen. She didn't want to admit that the nightmares she suffered from were terrifying. The worst part of those nightmares was that they felt all too real. They were mostly from memories of what had happened to her during her time with Clu, and while she tried surviving on the Grid.

She was just relieved that Tron hadn't watched over her like a hawk as she anticipated. The fact that he found out she was a User only made things more awkward than they already were. She wasn't in any hurry to explain how she managed to survive for as long as she did on her own. Tron seemed to be aware that she wasn't just some helpless User waiting for someone to rescue her. Maybe when she first appeared on the Grid, she had been in that situation. Now, things were different.

That dream in itself was different from the other dreams she normally suffered from. It was more like a memory from her past that came back to haunt her. Following Flynn to the Grid had been a mistake. Waking up on the Grid had been a huge surprise for her. And it wasn't until she found her first program that her surprise quickly switched to a cold realization. Trusting other programs was the second mistake she made.

Taking a deep breath, Mira stood up and looked around in surprise. The bed was still there, only a fresh glass of energy was on the stand beside it. She wondered if Tron had any idea she wasn't using the bed. Sleeping on the floor was much more comfortable, especially when she was suffering from horrible nightmares again. At least she wouldn't have the risk of falling out of the bed.

Once she had taken a sip of her energy, she felt oddly refreshed. It gave her enough strength to go down the stairs and find out what would happen this cycle. Now that he did know she was a User, the possibilities were endless. While he had promised he wouldn't take it easy on her just because she _was_ a User, that didn't mean he wouldn't keep his promise.

"So, what are we doing this time?" she asked upon seeing Beck there as well.

Tron was sifting through various images on the screen that was in front of the large panel overlooking the Outlands and the city. Mira noticed with a start that Tron had pulled up an image of Tesler's base along with the interior design. Infiltrating Tesler's base was going to be anything but easy. It was a massive structure, with many halls and rooms designed to confuse intruders that might have wandered in by accident. Anyone who was caught intruding on Tesler's base were usually derezzed on the spot.

"Tesler's base holds a cube with information that could give us a head start on the revolution."

"Wait, you're actually letting me go?" Mira was shocked that Tron trusted her enough.

"You'll need the experience. Besides, Beck could use some backup for this one." Beck rolled his eyes and Mira stuck her tongue out at him. He grinned back and she forced back a fit of laughter. It helped calm down the fear of explaining what had happened in her dream. Anything was better than refacing those memories. "Tesler's base is heavily guarded. You'll need to be quick about getting the cube."

"Sounds like nothing more than an exciting mission," she muttered under her breath.

Though, she was curious as to how the cube would give them an advantage over Tesler. Even if they knew what his plans and motives were, he would still find some way of changing them. Remaining one step ahead was something that Clu's generals and soldiers were well-known for.

"Stealth, now _that_ I can do," Beck announced.

"Keep an eye on Mira," Tron suddenly added, shooting her a look that only made Mira roll her eyes. "You don't know what will happen if the guards catch you."

 _I have a pretty good idea as to what they might do_ , she thought bitterly.

After the treatment she endured before arriving in Argon, nothing surprised her. Clu made it seem as if Users were nothing more than weeds that needed to be plucked from the Grid. Most of the programs she'd met along the way shared similar views to what Clu had of Users. She'd quickly learned not to tell them what she was when she realized what they were willing to do to keep the Grid 'User-free'.

"Don't worry, _I'll_ look after him," she retorted, knowing that she was already crossing the line.

She glanced at Beck self-consciously, half expecting to see him glaring at her. After all, they were only just beginning to get along. They only knew bits and pieces about each other, and Mira preferred keeping it that way. Though, she knew that they would have to eventually trust each other if they wanted to keep working together.

"We'll look after each other," he suddenly promised.

She had to hide the rush of heat rising to her cheeks that followed. Was he even aware of the truth? Would he treat her the same if he knew what she was? Tron didn't seem to act any different, but, that was because they had made a deal. Something told her that Beck wouldn't act any different either. But, her lack of trust held her back from telling him the truth. Once they were prepared to leave, Beck grabbed his light jet baton and took off with Mira behind him.

"How far is the ship?" she asked as they sped across the Outlands.

"According to the map it's at the edge of the city," Beck replied.

Mira didn't bother asking how they would take the cube. Beck had that covered – he was the future Tron after all. She studied the road and thought of what she could do while they were on the ship. Thoughts of getting Tesler knocked out filled her with satisfaction.

"You okay?" Beck's question shook her from her thoughts. "You've been acting differently since we got back from our last… mission."

Even now, he was still uneasy after nearly losing his disk and memory for good. Not that Mira couldn't blame him. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to become a stray. The thought sent a shiver of unease through her.

"I'm just worried… this _is_ our first official mission together without 'you know who'," she pointed out, avoiding the real reason behind her wariness.

The last thing she wanted was to explain her nightmare. She wasn't ready for that, just yet. Besides, it would also mean having to explain that she was a User. She wasn't sure if Beck was ready to hear that bit of news or not. Either way, she wasn't in any hurry to tell him the truth.

Fortunately, he left it at that as they headed for the ship.

"So now what?" She watched the guards as they exchanged a few words.

"We get past those guards." Beck grabbed the light staff she normally used for offensive strikes. "Think you can use this to knock 'em out?"

"Of course, Tron," she replied before rushing forward.

Beck looked surprise that she had called him by his alter-ego. By now the guards that were speaking had left their posts. Only a couple of guards were standing in place, waiting to be taken down.

With one leap she was able to overtake the first guard by surprise. He let out a sharp gasp before he fell to the ground. The second guard was a bit more difficult to contend with. He blocked her blows with his kicks and threw fists in her direction. She managed to knock him off balance with her light staff and slammed it on his forehead. A third guard was running back to call an alarm, but she'd managed to pin him to the ground as well.

Her fight came to an end as Beck came out to join her. She'd already knocked out the third guard before he could call for an alarm. The last thing they needed was to deal with an entire army after breaking into Tesler's ship.

"Not bad," he said when the mask came over his face. "Come on, we'll need to be careful."

Mira nodded in agreement and followed him. Slowly but surely they made their way into the ship. Guards were stationed throughout the ship, and several were lined up as if they were ready for battle. Mira knew that a war was being fought in the Grid. She wouldn't be surprised if this was what they were training for.

Other guards were practicing their disk battles by fighting to the death. A few watched in the background while other cheered the fighters on. Disgust made her fists clench as she wondered how any program could stand being under such pressure.

Beck pulled out a map that Tron had given him. A light blinking on the holoscreen indicated to Mira that that was where the cube was hiding. She knew that there would be more guards keeping an eye on Tesler's most prized possession. She also knew that they could both handle the guards.

They moved carefully throughout the ship, stopping every now and than when guards came too close for comfort. One guard had come to a stop near one of the many tanks that were lined throughout the ship. Mira held her breath until the guard left his post.

The light began blinking faster when they reached what appeared to be another room in the ship. Once again there were four guards posted near the door's entrance. Mira glanced at her light staff and thought of knocking some sense back into their programming.

"Come on."

Beck led the way into the fight.

"The Renegades!"

One of the guards shouted and held a staff. She'd already dealt with using her own light staff enough to know how to handle this one. Gripping her light staff, she swung it across the guard's chest before he could land a move. Beck was fighting two guards at once, but he could easily handle them. Mira jumped and spun around, using her legs to knock the second guard that had spotted her off of his feet.

"Keep an eye on the entrance," Beck told her when he was finished with the other two guards. "If you see anything give a call, I'll be out in a few nanocycles."

Mira took a deep breath as she stood near the entrance. Things were actually running pretty smoothly. She almost wished it was always this easy. Suddenly an alarm buzzed around her, jolting Mira from her thoughts. She jumped and stood firm when Beck slammed the door open.

"He didn't say there was a second alarm system," Beck grumbled when he showed her the cube. It was tiny. Mira didn't expect it to be so small. "This data cube should be enough to satisfy him for a while."

"You do realize this is _Tron_ we're talking about," Mira said with a grin. From what she had seen Tron was incredibly difficult to please. Maybe it had something to do with his past. She understood what it was like to hide the anger and need for revenge that churned within her. "We should go before there are too many guards, and before these bit-brains wake up."

Beck nodded in agreement. The two of them made a run for it. By this point it didn't even matter that the guards had spotted them. It was a matter of getting out before either of them were captured. Beck grabbed the baton that would turn into a light jet.

"Get on," he ordered when he realized she hadn't grabbed one for herself.

She didn't bother arguing and jumped on as soon as the light jet was rezzed and ready to go. The door to the ship was slowly closing, giving them little time to escape. Mira held on for dear life when Beck sped forward, using the light trail for extra speed and control. They only just made it when the door sealed shut behind them.

Mira looked over her shoulder to see a light copter giving chase. She wasn't surprised to see that Paige was the one driving it.

 _"_ Looks like we've got company," she announced when she looked forward.

"A light copter? That will never catch us," Beck scoffed. As if Paige had heard him more light jets chased after them. "Light jets on the other hand…" He didn't get the chance to finish.

Paige was trying to take them down with turrets as she fired them at the light trail. One good shot and they would fall into the Sea Of Simulation. Mira shivered with at the thought and wondered what would happen if they did fall in. She'd only heard stories of what happened to programs when they fell into the Sea Of Simulation. Most of them usually disappeared without a trace. Any of the programs who did manage to survive usually ended up going crazy from being alone for so long until they washed up to the nearest city.

"Hang on, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

Beck's shout made Mira cry out in surprise as he swerved upwards towards a cliff that towered above an island.

He moved to the right and tried to push Paige into the light trail. Mira gasped when Paige only just missed it. She pulled up and began shooting the turrets again. Suddenly one of the turrets had slammed into the light trail, causing pixels to fly in the air. Mira realized that the engine had been destroyed.

"This is where having a chute would come in handy," Mira groaned when the light jet began to rezz and derezz.

She guessed that hitting the light trail had caused it to malfunction. Maybe they should have followed safety procedures and kept chutes with them. It would have been better than crashing into the sea of simulation, or some random island in the process.

"Now would be a really good time to turn back into a baton!" Beck shouted.

The light jet he'd used didn't have a chance to turn back into a baton. They came crashing onto the island. The only problem was that Mira had fallen on one side of the island, while Beck slammed into the other side. Black spots began to clot Mira's vision before she passed out near the edge of the island.

…

The first thing she noticed upon waking up was finding herself in the basement again. Only this time something seemed off. The air around her felt strange. It was hard to explain the odd feeling surrounding her. Especially when she took her first couple of steps. She stumbled a few times before finally catching her bearings.

By the time she had gone up the stairs, she was beginning to realize that this was not the arcade. Somehow she had stumbled into another world. A very dark, very cold looking world. She felt a shiver run through her when she saw tall buildings reaching out to the sky. Or at least she thought that was the sky. To her it looked like empty blackness.

Soon she found herself wandering down what looked like a sidewalk. It was difficult to tell the difference between a sidewalk or a street. If there even was such a thing in this world. As she tried taking everything in at once, she hadn't noticed that people were walking around. Or creatures who looked like people. Some of them were dressed in black suits with strange, eerie lights glowing from them. Others were dressed in white who seemed more interested than the others in her.

Her eyes widened in panic when she realized that the woman dressed in white was approaching her. She remembered mom saying that she shouldn't talk to strangers. Especially if they looked scary like these people. She was about to make a run for it when she tripped over something. The woman was now standing over her, a sympathetic smile on her face as she helped the young girl up.

"W-Where am I?" she asked worriedly. The woman's smile turned to a frown when she noticed how panicked the girl looked. "Who are you?"

"It's okay. My name is Gem," the woman replied in a soothing tone. "Do you know who Created you?"

That only left the girl feeling more confused. Created? That sounded like something she would hear during a sermon at her church. Though she had a feeling mentioning that would only make things worse. So she shook her head and made an excuse as to why she didn't know who Created her. Gem only tipped her head to one side and looked very concerned.

"Alright, little one. I know someone who can take care of you," she told the girl. "There are other programs who would more than likely take you down, for reasons I can't explain. You will be safe with me."

Those chilling words should have been the first clue that something was wrong. The girl had nowhere else to go, though. She was scared and worried that she might never see her foster parents again. Maybe this Gem person might actually help her. She had to be trusting, at least for now.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

The first thing that she had noticed was how different this place was compared to the rest of the strange world she had seen earlier. Gem had taken her to a loud building where lots of other people who were like her talked loudly and started dancing to the blaring music.

When Gem had led her here for the first time, she thought maybe this was a trap. The people standing in the room were giving her strange looks that said she didn't belong here. Some of them were glaring, while others kept their distance. Finally, Gem had taken her up a set of stairs where she saw him for the very first time.

She wasn't sure what to make of Castor the first time they had met. Needless to say, he was very eccentric and flamboyant. When Gem had told Castor what the girl was and where she had found her, he was all the more interested in learning what the girl was capable of.

"Do you have an identity disk?" was the first question he asked, and of course she had no idea what that was, so she shook her head in response. "Gem, be a darling and fetch her one." Gem only rolled her eyes in response before doing as she was told. "Now then, why don't you share your name with me?"

For a moment, the girl hesitated as she thought of what her parents had said about strangers. Never give them your actual name. If she really needed to, she would make one up.

"Mira," she replied hesitantly, suddenly aware of the fact that she was very far from the world she grew up in.

While it wasn't the name she had been born with, she used a fake name to keep the programs from guessing where she was from, if that was possible.

"Well then, Mira, you are on the Grid. A digital world created by Flynn, our Creator. Without him we would not exist. For that, I am grateful to the Users." Mira only stared at him blankly, not sure what he was getting at with those terms. She had never heard someone talk the way Castor was now, especially when he mentioned the term 'Creator'. "For now, you are welcome to stay here where we can teach you how to survive on the Grid."

 _Survive_? Mira felt a rush of panic for a moment as she realized this place was far more dangerous than she anticipated. Something told her that this was only the beginning of the many trials she would have to face in the near future.

…

Mira woke with a start. The back of her head was throbbing with pain as she struggled back to her feet. She remembered what had happened back on Tesler's ship. Beck managed to crash into an island, the impact had sent them flying in different directions of the island.

 _Great, now how am I supposed to get out of here_? she wondered. Who knew where Beck was, or Paige for that matter? Something told her that the commander had followed them all the way here. Mira wasn't sure what she would do if she ran into Paige. More like she would fight back, or try some other trick to get Paige off her back for a while.

As she started wandering, Mira thought of the dreams she had earlier. It had been a long time since she first met Castor. The program who had taken her in was probably one of the few who treated her with respect. Though she had learned over time that he just hoped to exploit her abilities as a User once she was old enough. That was part of the reason she had left the city. But there were other reasons, some of them revolving around the fact that she had wanted to explore more of the Grid.

It didn't take her long to realize that maybe Castor was right about the dangers of the Grid. It was only thanks to him that she had learned how to defend herself. But even if that wasn't enough to protect her from the horrors that would follow.

…

For the next few cycles she had been taught all about the Grid. From the history to how she would use a light cycle and her weapons that Castor had entrusted her with. Within a User's time year, Mira had become skilled at using her disk and her light sword. A User her age shouldn't have even thought of using a light cycle in the first place. But it was the fastest way of getting from city to city. Eventually she had learned how to rewrite the coding in her visual appearance. Programs used to look at her strangely because she had red hair, something that wasn't all too common on the Grid. She changed her hair from red to mousy brown and kept it short due to her vigorous training sessions.

"Why are you spending so much time teaching her these things?"

She'd overheard Gem talking to Castor once she was finished with her latest training session. Mira was unbelievably tired as she laid on the couch while waiting for sleep to overtake her. But that didn't stop her from listening to what programs had to say about her.

"Do you know what Users are capable of?" Castor's question took Mira by surprise. She'd heard the term many times before, but had often wondered why Users were so important to the Grid. "Imagine Flynn's surprise if we had a User on our side, or Clu's for that matter. Not one of them would be able to stop us from taking over."

Mira found herself cringing at that. Was that really all they thought of her? A tool to be used as a weapon? That would explain why they were teaching her to fight. At first she thought it was to defend herself in the near future when she was on her own. Now she understood the cold reality of what was going on. She wasn't about to let that happen.

…

"Hey!" Mira nearly leaped when she heard a voice shouting in the distance. She had been wandering for what felt like cycles around the island, avoiding crevices and fallen rocks. To her disbelief she saw that Beck was standing on a fallen boulder, waving his arms to get her attention. She hid a grin and ran until she reached the boulder. "Glad to see you're safe, though you fell into the sea," Beck sighed when she met him.

Without warning she punched him in the arm, and Beck took a startled step back. "That was for doing what you did," she grumbled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know the light jet would do that," Beck replied. "But we've got a bigger problem. The island's derezzing."

Mira stared at Beck in alarm. He led her to the top of the ledge they were on. Sure enough pieces of the island began crumbling into the ocean.

"How is that possible?" she asked.

"The crash from my ship caused the island's coding to malfunction," he explained with a shrug.

She was about to say something else when she realized that they weren't alone. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted Paige trying to break off a piece of metal from her light copter. She knew the Commander would have been trying to find a way off the island. Utilizing whatever tools they had was a clever way of getting off, if one knew how to do that.

"Looks like we've got company," she warned him.

Beck realized that she was right. He hid his face once more and began climbing down the ledge. There wasn't any need for them to reveal their identities to Paige. The Commander would more than likely recognize them both from the games, and Mira wasn't in any hurry for either of them to get derezzed.

"Hey!"

Once again he shouted and gave Paige enough time to realize that she wasn't alone either.

"Huh, you're hard programs to derezz," Paige sneered. "But I like a challenge."

She suddenly leaped onto the ledge and shoved Mira aside. Anger and annoyance swept through Mira when Paige kicked Beck across the rock. Mira ran forward and tried pinning Paige to the ground, but she managed to push her aside with a swift kick.

"Look, we don't have to fight!" Beck's shout was left unheard as Paige swung her disk at him. Suddenly the ground began to tremble, and Mira had to steady herself before she fell over the ledge. Paige was less fortunate. She gasped when she grabbed hold of the ledge. "I'm trying to help," Beck insisted when he tried pulling her up. Mira nearly rolled her eyes when Paige just tried attacking him again. "Would you quit it?"

"Not until you're derezzed." Paige managed to pull herself up and gave Beck another kick. He was sent flying across the rock once again, but this time the cube that he'd stolen fell out. Mira's eyes widened in alarm when Paige grabbed hold of it. "I bet you thought I'd forget about this," she added icily.

"Would you just listen you bit-brain?" Mira demanded. "The island's derezzing, and we'll go with it."

Paige's own eyes widened when she realized that Mira was right.

"The sea's going to get rougher as more of the island's code falls in," Beck told them. "I could build some kind of craft that floats in the water if we work together."

"That's impossible," Paige retorted.

"Look around you. There's no army, no one out here to save you but us."

Mira sighed in annoyance when Paige looked away. As much as Paige's attitude annoyed Mira, she knew that they needed each other to get off the blasted island. They were all doomed if Paige didn't start getting her act together.

"I _am_ the army," she snapped. "And I can get off of this island on my own."

She left them standing there to work on her ship once more. Mira rolled her eyes and glared once she had her back on them.

"Great, so now what do we do?" she asked.

"We wait," Beck replied. "Her plan will fail, and she's gonna have to listen to us."

Mira shook her head and sat down on the rock. This was getting them nowhere. More pieces of the island were falling off as the cycle went by. She knew that they didn't have much time left. If getting Paige to work with them was their only hope, then they would likely be derezzed in the next cycle.

…

Mira was able to escape from their grasp after discovering their real plan. She was on the move to Tron City where she would hopefully find Flynn and a way back home. Thanks to Castor she was better at riding a light cycle and avoiding programs who saw her as an enemy. That didn't stop her from running into several problems along the way to the city. A few programs had questioned who she was and why she was there in the first place. Fortunately for her, she was able to fight them off before they called for backup.

For the last few cycles she had explored every city she could before heading for Tron City. Exploring these cities made her wonder if Tron was even aware of her presence on the Grid. If he was, he didn't bother searching, or just plan didn't care. Whatever the reasons, she wouldn't rely on him for help.

She tried not to think about it when she reached the outlines of the city. Programs were wandering around aimlessly as they fulfilled their missions. Mira had learned that they did what they were programed for. Castor was an exception to the program's abilities. She had discovered that he had a security monitor's ability, but it was with limitations. And then there was a new problem that Mira had discovered within the Grid.

The ISOs. She had seen a couple of these ISOs before at the clubs, but she rarely spent time with them. They were different from other programs. They could do what they wanted without following Flynn's orders. Some of the programs had called them dangerous because of their new-found freedom. Mira thought they were just strange to begin with because of the odd tattoo on their shoulder.

"Hey, what are you doing so close to the city?"

Mira rolled her eyes as a program with orange lights approached her. It was one of the guards that followed Clu's orders. She had noticed there were more and more guards around, probing the other programs and derezzing them when they got out of line.

"I was hoping to meet with the Creator," she replied innocently. "Is he here?"

She already knew that Flynn was here. The light from the Portal showed like a beacon. She just needed some kind of confirmation to know that there was a way off the Grid. Getting back to her world was what mattered the most.

"He doesn't have time for you." The guard reached for his disk, and Mira immediately tensed. She didn't have a chance to react when he threw the disk. Her eyes widened in horror when it cut across her arm. She forced back a cry of pain when the disk tore through her suit. The guard's eyes widened when he realized that she wasn't derezzing. "User!"

Before he had a chance to call an alarm a disk flew into his chest. The guard let out his own cry as he was derezzed on the spot.

"Thought that guy would never shut up." Mira looked up suspiciously to see a darker-skinned program standing beside the derezzed guard. "Name's Cutler," he explained. "I've been noticing more guard activity and thought I'd check it out. Turns out I made the right move."

"Why did you help me?" she demanded when she put her hand on her injured shoulder.

"Because you needed it," Cutler replied. He glanced at her shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "You should see a medic about that."

"It's not like they can be of any use," she muttered with a shrug. That was enough to cause pain, and she immediately regretted the movement. "Besides, Users can heal their wounds."

She struggled to remain standing as Cutler raised an eyebrow.

"Right," he said with a roll of his eyes. "So why would another User be here?"

"That's kind of why I'm here," she explained. "I was hoping to see if Flynn would be able to get me back home before the Portal closes again."

"That might be easier said than done," Cutler said when Mira reached for her light cycle baton. She gasped when she heard the sounds of battle echoing in the distance. "Look kid, I'm not programmed for fighting. If you really want to see what's going on, I'd heard in that direction."

Mira studied him carefully for a few nanocycles. She knew that he was wary of her, and she couldn't blame him. She herself was wary of any program she came across, especially after what had just happened. Eventually she nodded and sped away, leaving Cutler in the dust.

 _I'll find my own way out of the Grid_ , she told herself. _I won't let my parents worry about me_.

…

She woke up to the feeling of someone poking her shoulder. Her body reacted out of sheer instinct, activating her light sword and swiping it at whoever was poking her. It wasn't until a hand stopped the light sword in midair that she recognized the program in question. Mira blinked in shock when she realized she had almost attacked Beck.

"Sorry," she muttered, her voice barely audible as she turned her light sword back into a baton.

Beck simply nodded in understanding before looking pointedly at a spot where Paige was sitting.

Mira tilted her head to one side when she realized the commander looked more annoyed with herself than anything else. She couldn't help but smirk as she guessed that Paige had not found a way off this island.

"We can work together," Beck said when Mira reached them. "I could build a ship that could float in these waters by modifying the system."

"Don't you need to be a mechanic to do something like that?" Paige asked irritably.

Mira almost laughed at the irony in her question. Paige may be an irritating Commander who was constantly at their throats, but at least she seemed to have a sense of humor.

"Anything's possible if you put your mind to it," she replied, hoping that it was true.

Considering she had gotten this far by putting her mind into the task, she supposed it could be.

"You're injured," she said in an accusing tone.

Mira hadn't even noticed the cut on Beck's shoulder. It reminded her of the first time she had received in injury by one of Clu's guards. The wound had healed, thankfully, after a few cycles.

"It's nothing." Mira rolled her eyes and wondered how stupid Beck could be.

"You could lose the arm if it's not healed," Paige insisted when she used a tool to observe the damage. "I'll need to access your disk." Immediately Mira stiffened and glared at Paige, who glared back when Beck stopped her. "I'm only doing this because I need your help," she grumbled.

"So… you're not going to derezz me?" he demanded. Paige remained icily silent, and Mira forced back a sigh of annoyance. "You're calling for a truce?" he continued asking questions that Paige would likely never follow if there were guards around.

"A _temporary_ truce," she finished.

Eventually, Beck had no choice but to give her his disk. Mira was ready for any signs of betrayal. She knew what the guards who followed Clu were like. They would look for any chance to gain an advantage over their enemy.

Fortunately, Paige had followed through on her words. An image showed on the screen and she began to sift through files and codes.

"How did you learn how to do that?" Beck asked when Mira stood beside him.

"All soldiers learn how to heal battle wounds," Paige explained. "It's part of our training."

 _That makes sense_ , Mira thought. _Clu wouldn't want to waste his time with medics_.

"Huh, feels good as new," Beck announced when she was finished.

Paige smiled playfully before handing him back his disk. For the first time since meeting Paige, Mira began to notice there was more to her than meets the eye. Paige eyed Mira curiously and sighed in annoyance.

"So where did you come from?" she asked.

"That's classified information," Mira replied with a smirk.

The Commander rolled her eyes and suddenly looked like she was ready to burst with laughter. Beck seemed to notice their change in attitude as well. As soon as his shoulder was healed, they went to work building a ship that would get them off of the island.

…

Mira was hit hardest of all when Clu took over the Grid. No city was safe for her as she tried finding a way back home. She was eight now in User terms. While the programs went on with their lives as normal, Mira was left with wondering if she would be stuck here forever.

Keeping track of time on the Grid was something she had struggled to do since arriving in this world. Castor had taught her basic knowledge of time, like how a cycle would equal one day or a nanocycle would equal a second in User time. But it was difficult memorizing all the terms that were used for each cycle. Between that and struggling to survive in general, Mira wasn't sure what was more complicated.

She had heard rumors spreading across the Grid that Tron was dead. He was killed by Clu's soldiers during the Betrayal when they overthrew Flynn. Mira was shocked to hear that bit of news when she'd overheard programs talking to one another at a club. Once Clu had taken over, everything went downhill fast. Maybe she should have asked to be taken straight to Flynn. Though something told her that was the last thing Castor or Gem would have done. Having a User on their side would have proved helpful during the Betrayal. Flynn's fall left another problem Mira had to face now, a cold reality that had only recently dawned on her.

 _I'm not going home again, am I_? she thought sadly. She wondered if her parents would even miss her. They might send search parties to look for her, but they would never find anything. She was stuck in a world they would never know about. She was so caught up on her parents that she hadn't noticed something was wrong up ahead.

Mira stopped in her tracks when she saw an ISO fleeing from the black guard. ISOs had suffered so much since Clu's takeover. Not only were the persecuted for their very existence, Clu sought to make sure none of them survived. She had learned in a short time to avoid anyone dressed in those suits. Only this one was different. This black guard had a symbol on their chest that looked hauntingly familiar.

Suddenly she found herself glaring at the program who had chased down the female ISO. She knew what it was like to feel fear, and obviously this ISO was feeling those emotions at this moment.

"Leave her alone!" Mira shouted, surprising herself by lunging at the program.

The last thing she saw was the ISO's shocked face when she felt a stabbing pain in the back of her neck. Almost at once, black spots appeared at the edge of her vision before she blacked out.

…

It was almost like she was in a daze while Beck managed to fix the ship he was working on for the past few micocycles. She thought back to the way that ISO had run from the program disguised as Tron. It hadn't even occurred to her why she didn't trust him the first time they met. Another program was using his symbol under Clu's command.

"My powerpack was ruined in the crash, I'll need a new one," Beck announced when Paige approached them.

"My ship as a full powerpack," she said with a slight grin.

Mira followed them towards the other side of the island where Paige's light copter had crashed. Sure enough there was another full powerpack hidden inside the ship. She was surprised that Paige didn't try to argue with Beck when she helped him carry it.

 _She wants to get off as much as we do_ , Mira decided after helping Beck grab the powerpack.

"So suppose we get off this island, then what happens?" Beck asked when he pulled out codes that would help modify the ship.

"I either derezz you or you turn yourself in, your choice," Paige replied. She turned to look at Mira, who was focused on the ship. "And what about you? I'm assuming you work for him seeing as you're always together."

Mira blushed almost as soon as Paige had finished speaking. Beck didn't bother responding, but she noticed that he'd slowed down. He was equally curious of what would happen if they decided to move on from Tron's training.

"I'd rather just get back home," she finally murmured with a shrug.

Paige raised an eyebrow at her response. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and Paige cried out in surprise when it derezzed from underneath. She was left struggling to get herself up when Beck stood.

"Paige, hold on!" Paige stared at them in panic when Mira looked over the ledge.

"Grab my hand." Mira tried to reach out, but she realized that she was too short. No matter how hard Paige struggled to couldn't reach. She glanced back over her shoulder, but Beck was already gone. With a sigh of annoyance she looked back at Paige. "We'll be back," she promised.

She managed to catch up with Beck, who was struggling to start the engine.

"Come on!" He gave the powerpack a good punch, and suddenly it roared to life. "Get on," he ordered as he hopped on.

Mira followed him without hesitating. She wanted to get off the island now more than ever, especially with the memories becoming clearer with each passing nanocycle. Once he sped forward with the ship she was relieved to get away from the island. Paige was still struggling to get back on land. Mira's eyes widened when she suddenly let go and fell into the water.

"Hang on Paige!" Beck's shout was left unheard as he plunged into the water.

Mira stared at the bubbles in surprise and wondered how long they would last under water. She shivered with unease at the thought. She couldn't imagine a worse face than drowning, other than getting derezzed.

She didn't have time to think about it as one of Tesler's ships flew near the island. A crane pulled down and plunged into the water as well. Nanocycles later and the crane had pulled Paige out of the churning water. And there went the trust they were slowly building. Beck came up shortly after the crane left.

"I hope she learns someday that we're not the enemies," she said as she helped him up.

"Are you okay?" Beck asked when he noticed she was more shaken than usual. "You look… off."

Mira only rolled her eyes when he tried sugarcoating the truth. She probably looked like a wreck, of course he would be a gentleman now and refuse to admit the truth.

"I don't know how to explain this," she sighed after realizing maybe it was better to tell him everything. She knew that Tron would eventually find out, which would only lead to more problems in the future. "Some things happened before I arrived in Argon City… things I would never wish upon anyone."

"Is it really that bad?"

Beck's question made her stomach churn with anxiety. He had no idea just what Clu and his soldiers had put her through. Mira let out a sigh as she decided the only way to let go was to tell him.

…

When Mira woke up, she found herself in a holding cell. Glass walls surrounded her, along with what looked like a bottomless pit down below. Her hands were trembling with fear as she found herself gazing into a face that looked eerily familiar.

"When I was told a User was loose on the Grid, I thought they were joking." Clu. Mira had never met him in person, but she had seen Flynn often enough to know what Clu looked like. And it was obvious he enjoyed every nanocycle of this moment from the grin on his face. "All these cycles of running, and you end up in my clutches. Man, I bet you're really starting to regret following him now." Mira only spit at him in response, and his grin turned to a scowl of disgust. "Well, let's see how you fair against one of my greatest soldiers, Rinzler."

She wasn't given a chance to protest when cuffs suddenly appeared around her wrists. Mira held back a gasp of pain as she found herself being forced out of the prison cell. A shiver ran through her when she was surrounded by guards. Clu didn't waste his time with her, returning to his post in a separate room. Mira shot a glare in the direction he'd disappeared to.

 _I'm stuck in this mess because of you_! she fumed. She wished that she was strong enough to shout those words. To make Clu regret everything he had done. Programs were just that – programs. Mira was beginning to realize that they didn't have emotions like Users. They wouldn't know the difference between right and wrong because Flynn had never taught it to them.

Guards surrounded either side of Mira as she was led through a narrow hallway. A shiver ran through her when she saw other programs who were captured by Clu's soldiers. Many of them were horribly scarred beyond repair. A few of them looked as if they had given up already. The more she saw, the more she realized that there was no escaping this prison. Clu wasn't going to let her go so easily, especially now that he knew she was a User.

Finally she was led into a small looking room with black walls surrounding her. The guards stayed on one side of the room while she was shoved into the center. Mira shot one glare at them before realizing that she wasn't alone. Another program, this one taller than the others with powerful muscles rippling beneath his suit towered above her. Mira's eyes widened when she recognized him as the program that had attacked the ISO from before.

It didn't take Mira long to understand the situation she was in. The soldier let out a feral growl before raising his activated disk, blades glowing a sickening orange color. The very first time she had felt his disk strike was the worst moment in her life. She would never forget the pain that followed, or the continuous beatings that would follow. The program Clu had called Rinzler was relentless in his attacks, and Mira was given no chance to fight back.

For the first time since she had arrived on the Grid, Mira found herself crying from the burning pain throughout her body. She was sent back to her prison cell once Rinzler was called to his next assignment. Her hands, legs and arms were now covered in fresh cuts and wounds from his disk. She didn't even have time to brace herself for what he would do to her. She wanted to curl up in what little space she had and pray that this was just a horrible nightmare.

She wasn't given much time alone when a female program stepped inside. Mira's eyes widened in alarm; the first thought that crossed her mind was that this program would hurt her, just like Rinzler had. Clu's soldiers had handcuffed her to the wall before they left, she couldn't run even if she wanted to.

"I'm sorry," the program murmured sympathetically when he saw the blood that now stained the floors beneath her. If he was appalled by the sight, he wasn't showing it. Mira only stared at him in fear as he reached over for her disk. "Easy, I'm not going to hurt you," he added in a reassuring tone.

For a moment, she thought he was actually lying when she realized he was opening up strands of code from her disk. Mira narrowed her eyes as she watched a few white patches cover the cuts and bruises Rinzler had given her. It wasn't enough to soothe the pain, but it covered up the blood. It was only than that Mira realized he was preparing her for whatever abuse Rinzler put her through next. She knew that whatever Rinzler did to her, Clu would approve. This was only the beginning of the torture they would put her through.

…

She wasn't sure how many cycles had passed since she was captured by the black guard. It could have been a whole year in User time and she wouldn't have noticed. Rinzler had taken out all of his frustration and rage out on her when there weren't any ISOs left for him to destroy. Clu was more than happy to appease his greatest soldier, until he realized that no matter what sort of trauma she was put through, she would survive.

"I don't know how you've managed to survive for this long," he sneered after the latest beating she had received. Her face was still covered in bruises when she looked up to glare at him defiantly. Clu leaned forward so that his face was only inches from hers, and it took everything she had not to spit at him. "You're only prolonging your death, User. Maybe it's time we ended things, before anyone realizes you're here."

She didn't answer as he stepped out of her cell and allowed the guards to drag her away. By now she was accustomed to not speaking, especially when Clu was in her presence. It was at this point that she realized she had given up. Any hope of getting out of this alive was long gone.

This time the guards were leading her to a different place. Mira's eyes narrowed as she was led down a long hallway towards a space where she could hear cheering in the background. She had heard rumors of these sort of places from programs who were lucky enough to escape with their lives. Coliseums were places where death matches took place. Often times Clu would hold them just to watch programs suffer before their death. A shiver ran through her when she realized this would be the last place she stepped foot into. Clu's soldiers were leading her to her death.

The moment she stepped foot onto the massive arena was when programs started booing and shouting insults. One program even had the audacity to throw something at her. Rinzler was standing in the center of the arena with guards surrounding him. One of the guards approached Mira and handed her the baton she had arrived in the prison cell with – the light sword that Castor had given her before she left.

"Programs, the rumors you have heard of a User lurking around the Grid are true!" Mira felt her fists clench at the sound of Clu's voice. "Well, I am proud to announce that my soldiers have found the tyrant who has threatened our well being. This User, like the Creator, will suffer the only punishment suitable for their kind."

Mira flinched when she heard programs shout in agreement. An image of what she used to look like before Clu captured her was plastered across the huge screen overlooking the arena.

 _I wonder if they would think differently if they saw me now_? She didn't have much time to think the question over as the guards stepped away from Rinzler. This was his fight, and his fight alone. Once he had reached for his light cycle baton, it was game over.

Mira didn't hesitate this time and surged forward as Rinzler was about to run her over. She activated her light sword and used it to gain momentum before leaping over him. Despite the pain racking her body when she landed behind him, she was happy with herself. The moment didn't last long when Rinzler suddenly spun around on his light cycle and began heading straight in her path. One of the guards had grabbed her arm and held her down.

"Stand still, you useless User!" the guard snarled as she struggled against his grip.

Her heart was racing with panic when Rinzler got closer on his light cycle. He was only a few feet from her when something was thrown in their direction. The guard who held her down quickly released his grip after realizing what the object was. Seconds later and an explosion shook the entire arena.

She looked around wildly as the spectators began to flee from the scene. This was definitely not something that Clu had planned. Rinzler was just recovering from the shock when a light cycle soared above him and hit the back of his helmet. The impact was enough to knock him out just when the program responsible landed in front of Mira.

"Get on," the program ordered, their voice disguised as a cloud of smoke and debris surrounded them. Mira hesitated as she simply stared at the program, still dumbfounded as to what just happened. "I said, get on," the program added more forcefully as the guards began to recover.

This time Mira obeyed, realizing this might be her only chance at escaping Clu's clutches. The program who broke in made a ninety degree turn before fleeing back through the hole they had created during all the chaos. Mira's teeth ground together in pain when the light cycle bumped over rocky debris until finally reaching the Outlands. None of the guards would be able to follow them from this distance – their light cycles weren't modified to work outside the arena.

"I'm Quorra by the way," the program introduced themselves once they were far enough away. Quorra came to a stop and helped Mira off her light cycle before turning it back into a baton. "Can't you talk?" she asked in alarm when Mira opened her mouth, but no words followed.

Eventually, she made a tiny choking sound that Quorra was barely able to hear.

"Mira." Her voice was hoarse from lack of use.

Mira hadn't spoken to anyone within those walls. She didn't realize how much time had passed until hearing her own voice. Quorra's expression softened as she noticed how terrified the young User was.

That was when she noticed the horrible scars and wounds covering Mira. Some were fresh, and some were old. The scars were horrible enough to make anyone recoil in shock. What Clu had done to her was unforgivable.

"No one should ever go through what you've suffered from," Quorra sighed once Mira had relaxed a little in her arms. The ISO wasn't expecting to find herself growing fond of a User, but seeing her made Quorra realize they shared similar fates. "I won't let Clu hurt you, or another User, ever again."

It was the first time Mira had ever felt safe in anyone's arms.

…

"I left Quorra after a xilacycle," she explained once she was finished recalling all of the horror Clu had put her through. Beck was mortified, nonetheless, when she had told him everything aside from the fact that she was a User. "Once I was on my own, I started exploring city after city until reaching Purgos. Clu's soldiers found me and tried giving chase, and that's pretty much how I ended up stuck in Argon."

Beck was quiet for a while as he thought of how she was able to survive the games for so long under Clu's tyranny. Usually when they were struck down, programs derezzed. Mira was the only program he knew of who hadn't fallen in the games. It didn't take Beck long to realize what she was implying.

"You're a User," he gasped in disbelief once they had reached the safehouse. "But why—"

"Not tell Tron?" she guessed, and he nodded. "Because I didn't trust him. I still don't, entirely. Rinzler was disguised as Tron, and I have a feeling that might have something to do with that lack of trust. But it's more than that. Clu's treatment taught me that programs can't be trusted. Eventually, they will turn on me."

She spoke in a matter-of-fact tone that made Beck flinch. "Yet you trusted me with your name," he said quietly.

Mira simply shrugged and looked away, still trying to figure out why that was herself. It wasn't as if Beck had treated her differently when they first met. If anything, their first impressions hadn't exactly been the best. But she began warming up to him when they started working together.

"I guess… it's because you're different from the other programs I've met," she admitted. "I trusted Quorra because she was… more than just a friend. But as for you… I don't know."

A small smile tugged on Beck's lips as he realized what she meant by that. She trusted him enough to tell her what had happened in the past. Maybe it was time he started trusting her as well.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Mira was surprised when Tron had congratulated Beck rather than punish him for working with Paige to get off the island. Getting Tesler's cube had been part of the mission, but Mira suspected it was more than that. She hadn't realized until returning that his mission also required all of them working together. Working together hadn't been one of the easiest tasks either of them faced. Paige hadn't made things any easier due to her sheer stubbornness. In the end though, she did begin to lighten up on them. Even if they'd nearly lost her in the end.

What had shocked her even more was that Beck hadn't told Tron that he knew the truth. She half expected him to explain everything that happened on the island, including their conversation on the way back. But Beck had kept his promise in not telling Tron, even though he already knew she was a User. It also reminded her that maybe not all programs were nearly as terrible as she first thought. Beck's promise to maintain her secret had touched her in some way. It was difficult enough maintaining his own secret around the garage, let alone keeping her secret.

In the end, Mira had found enough time to get some decent sleep despite the nightmares threatening to overwhelm her. For the first time since breaking into Tesler's ship and swiping the cube, she had slept peacefully. Mira wasn't expecting to find herself relaxed and pleased with herself for the first time in cycles. Sleep in itself was like a gift from above. There were times when she would go for cycles without any. Those days were usually spent living in the Outlands where few programs knew she even existed. Most of the time, she was better off without them knowing she had been living on the outskirts of the city.

She let out a sigh of contentment as she grabbed a glass of energy. It had been a long time since she felt this happy. Mira knew it wouldn't last, so she appreciated it while she could. And of course, her theory was right when she heard the garage door to the safehouse open up.

Sure enough, she saw Beck arrive when she got down the stairs to the main room. Tron wasn't all that surprised to see them together once he had their next mission situated. Beck rose an eyebrow when he noticed Mira was actually smiling.

"Wow, I didn't know you could actually smile," he said with a smirk of amusement, earning a light punch in the arm soon after.

"What, you think I'm not capable of actually being happy for a change?" she asked, though she didn't sound angry like he was expecting.

Something about her was different. Ever since they had talked, he could see a lighter side of Mira that he hadn't before. Maybe Clu hadn't stripped her entirely of her innocence. The moment was ruined when Tron got straight to the point.

"There's a scientist by the name of Shaw who's visiting the city in a millicycle," he explained while sifting through images on the panel overlooking the Outlands. Mira tilted her head at the name. She noticed on the images that Shaw was confronted by some of Tesler's men, and he looked terrified from what she could tell. "Tesler asked him to design a weapon upgrade that would improve speed and agility for any program."

 _And we all know how that would end_ , Mira thought with a roll of her eyes. At least it showed that Tesler was getting desperate. If he thought a weapon upgrade was needed, then he realized the renegades were more than the occupation could handle. She almost smirked at the thought. Knowing that Tesler was getting desperate meant that their missions would get that much more difficult. While she was more than prepared for anything the Grid threw at her, she wasn't sure how Beck would be able to handle it.

"And I'm guessing you want us to stop him from reaching his destination," Beck concluded after realizing where Tron was getting at.

"This mission is more important than you realize," Tron informed them as Mira got ready to leave.

She reached for her light sword and a light jet baton that Beck managed to swipe for her during their last mission. She had begun practicing her flying skills when Tron wasn't watching by using the simulator, and she was getting better with each passing cycle. That didn't mean she was a pro at it, though.

Once she was ready, and Beck was ready, they headed off for the Durigable in question. The Durigable was a huge round ship that looked almost like a hairdryer from the Real World. Mira had only seen them once or twice when she was in larger cities, but they were mostly used for carrying medics who were off to larger hospitals.

Mira allowed Beck to dive in head-first once they had reached the Durigable. Once she was sure he had taken down the first guard, she turned her light jet back into a baton and rolled into the Durigable seconds later. The moment she was inside the Durigable was when she saw Beck take down two programs at once.

She remembered when he first started out how reluctant he was to pull off that kind of stunt. Now he was becoming confident in his abilities, and he did things without hesitation. Mira found herself lingering behind until a guard had spotted her. That was when she spun into action, until realizing that this guard happened to be the scientist known as Shaw.

"You aren't getting away that easily," she snapped after leaping over the scientist and blocking the exit. Shaw skidded to a halt and shot her a glare. "Wait, the weapon is inside a box?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

"No… this is a box! What's inside – that's the weapon!" Shaw retorted before tucking the box away.

"You're a scientist, Shaw, not a murderer," Beck tried easing the tension rising between the three of them. "You can help programs, instead of destroying them."

Mira highly doubted Shaw would be the kind of program to change his mind. Judging by the cold look in his eyes, he wasn't. Considering Tesler convinced Shaw to design the weapon in question, he wouldn't hesitate to turn on them if given the chance. He wasn't going to make this easy. And she suspected that Shaw would turn on others if he saw the opportunity to do so.

"I can't help these programs anymore than you can!" Shaw spat out and opened the box.

Mira's eyes widened in alarm when what looked like a miniature disk emerged from the box and he grabbed it, placing the small disk on his back. His suit than began to rewrite itself into something more sinister looking. A sleeker, more dangerous version of himself. Mira found herself standing in the path of a burst of energy that sent her flying into a wall seconds later.

Her teeth ground together as she forced back a cry of pain. She wasn't expecting that, especially from a scientist who looked like he could barely fight. Then again, unexpected things always seemed to happen on the Grid. It took her a few nanocycles to recover from the initial surprise.

"Are you okay?" Beck asked when he realized what had happened.

"Stop Shaw," she snapped through gritted teeth, struggling to stand up again.

Hopefully she hadn't suffered from any internal injuries, such as a broken rib. It was just one of the many wonders of being a 'weak User'. For a moment, it looked as if Beck was going to argue when he thought better of it. Shaw was their top priority aside from getting the weapon upgrade.

Said scientist was just getting up after Beck gave him a good kick in the chest. Sensing that Mira was the weaker one, Shaw had started charging after her when Beck slammed into him with his shoulder. Shaw let out a cry of surprise when the force sent him flying right out of the Durigable. Mira's eyes widened in alarm until she noticed he was dangling from a handle bar attached to the Durigable.

"I've got you!" Beck called after catching him by his disk.

That only seemed to make Shaw panic some more as he struggled harder. She knew a desperate program when she saw one, and Shaw appeared to be just that type of program. His struggles only seemed to get worse when Beck tried pulling him up.

"No, my disk!" Shaw cried out when the disk seemed to split in two.

She guessed that the weapon upgrade separated from his disk, causing his system to return to normal. Mira felt her heart nearly skip a beat when Shaw dropped from the Durigable, falling into one of the engines and derezzing from the contact. Beck's mask receded once Shaw had derezzed.

"He shouldn't have fought back," Mira muttered under his breath, realizing that much was true. Shaw must have been desperate if he used the weapon upgrade on himself. "You did your best," she added after noticing the mortified look on Beck's face.

"Yeah, but he still died," he sighed in defeat. "Are you sure you're okay? It looked like he hit you pretty hard," he added worriedly.

"Beck, how many times do I have to keep telling you not to worry about me?" Mira asked with a roll of her eyes. Her back still felt she had been run over by several light cycles at once, but she knew it would feel better with some rest. "I may be a User, but that doesn't mean I'm weak."

With that being said, they both left and returned to the safehouse.

…

"A massive power upgrade in strength and agility; if this weapon had found its way to Tesler, his forces would be insurmountable," Tron informed them after looking through the weapon Shaw had invented.

"So… we did good?" Mira asked, cringing at her own horrible grammar.

"What about the scientist, your objective was to get him here safely!" Tron snapped in an accusing tone.

Mira only glared at Tron. There was only so much they could do to keep Shaw from derezzing. He'd done this to himself after realizing that they would take the weapon upgrade from him. She did wish that the outcome could have been different. But the program had been determined to fight back and prove his loyalty to Tesler. While she understood why, it still left her feeling annoyed and angry that programs were so willing to follow the general's orders so easily.

"He attacked us," Beck explained, trying to keep himself calm despite looking disappointed. "I tried to save him but… I couldn't."

"Then this is the only disk of it's kind."

"So, what exactly are you planning on doing with that upgrade?" Mira asked, genuinely curious.

She wondered if a User was capable of using such an upgrade. Something like that would definitely come in handy when it came to defeating Clu for the last time. Then she quickly pushed the thought aside. Using the weapon upgrade wouldn't get her anywhere. She had to remind herself that if she was going to take Clu down, it would be on her own. He deserved to suffer for everything he had done to the Grid, and to everyone else who became his victim.

"Destroy it." Mira cringed at the way he spoke, obviously knowing more about the weapon than either of them ever would. "Tesler believes that this weapon was destroyed along with the scientist. That should buy us some time to destroy the disk."

"And how do you expect us to destroy it?" Beck asked the question this time as he folded his arms in confusion.

"Do you know of any high energy lasers?"

"Oh wait, I do," Beck scoffed. "I'll take care of it."

"Beck, this disk is more dangerous than you realize."

"Don't worry about it."

"Beck, I'm serious."

Tron's voice suddenly became darker as he handed the disk over. Mira hadn't missed the warning tone this time. He wanted to make it clear that the weapon wasn't to be used before it was destroyed, and she suddenly understood why. Power like that could be intoxicating to anyone who never experienced it. And it would prove to be fatal if it fell into the wrong hands.

"When are you not serious?" Beck grabbed the disk and began to head for the garage once more. "Don't worry about it, the disk will be destroyed before the end of the cycle."

Tron narrowed his eyes once Beck had left the safehouse. Mira had a feeling that this wouldn't be easy for either of them. That kind of power could easily overtake the person holding it. She was beginning to understand why Tron was eager to have it destroyed.

"Are you okay?" Mira flinched when Tron asked that question. "Beck told me you were hit the worst by the weapon upgrade."

 _Of course he would_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes.

"I'll live," she replied in a voice that said she didn't want to talk about it.

She went upstairs before Tron could interrogate her further.

 _I don't want to be treated like some weakling_ , she reminded herself. The last thing she needed was someone thinking she couldn't look after herself. Once upstairs, Mira let out a sigh of relief and threw herself onto the bed Tron had set up for her.

She found herself staring at the ceiling as she thought of how far she had gotten in her life since Quorra rescued her. Memories of the ISO she saw as a mother more than anyone else came rushing back. If it wasn't for Quorra, she knew she would have never survived. She owed her life to the ISOs for what they had done for her.

Slowly her eyes began closing when she heard the garage door open. Mira sat up at the noise, wondering if Tron had left to see if Beck would stay true to his word. Then she realized the program stepping in was Beck himself. For a moment, Mira found it odd that Beck would have returned early when she realized he was heading upstairs instead of seeking Tron's advice.

Instinct told her to grab her light sword before he got there. Even if she was beginning to slowly trust him, it was only just. That didn't mean she would let him waltz in while she was unprotected.

"You're back earlier than expected," she began in an icy tone.

She didn't miss the strange look in his eyes when he kept his distance, aware of the weapon she was holding.

"Yeah… look, I need your help. I was hoping you could somehow modify the weapon upgrade, maybe make it work without Tron getting worried about it," Beck explained.

"You know what Tron said about the upgrade," Mira said with a roll of her eyes. Beck narrowed his eyes at the mention of Tron. Somehow, she wasn't surprised to find out that he'd used the upgrade on himself. And that meant he'd likely taken stupid risks that could put everyone's lives in danger. "Besides, you've already proven that you're capable of holding your own in a fight, with or without that upgrade."

"You don't understand what it's like, do you?" Beck asked carefully. "Having this kind of power… it's incredible! I was able to take on Tesler on my own! I bet you could easily take down Clu if—"

"No!" Mira hadn't meant to shout it, but she was angrier with Beck than she expected. He blinked in surprise as she tried calming herself down. She knew this wasn't his normal behavior; the weapon upgrade was already poisoning his mind. Even so, she was terrified of letting that kind of power fall into the wrong hands, even her own. "If I'm going to take down Clu, I want it to be within my own power, not because of some stupid weapon upgrade," she explained. "Besides, what if Tesler had gotten a hold of that weapon? We'd be screwed."

"It's made me stronger than ever," Beck snapped, growing irritated with her lack of interest in the idea of using the weapon upgrade.

"Beck, Tron was right about that weapon poisoning your mind," Mira pointed out while holding back her own frustration. "Can't you see that? You're taking risks that shouldn't be taken."

"Why can't you program the upgrade to not corrupt the mind?" Beck countered. "You could help me control it. Isn't that what Users could do?"

Mira bit the bottom of her lip at that. She remembered Castor once saying that Users were capable of modifying the way codes worked on the Grid. But she had never learned to modify the code, otherwise she would have found a way out of this world.

"Look, Beck, I can't help you," she sighed and stepped away from him, still holding on to her light sword. "You need to start making your own decisions. Just don't make choices you're going to regret. Remember, Tron chose you because he thought you could resist temptation."

She wasn't expecting him to lash out her the way he did. One good punch was all it took for things to spiral out of control. She was able to block the first few blows when he managed to overpower her and pin her to the floor, disk aimed at her neck. Mira only glared at him when his disk was aimed in a spot that was already covered by an old scar.

"Go ahead and try derezzing me," she snapped, noticing the look of realization in his eyes. "See where it gets you."

The disk dropped out of his hand faster than she imagined. Her shoulders were still tensed up as Beck released his grip on her, suddenly overcome by guilt and shame.

"I-I'm sorry," he gasped, hands trembling in shock when he realized what he almost did.

"Now do you see why it needs to be destroyed?" she asked, her voice shaken by what just happened.

Beck only nodded in response and pulled off the weapon upgrade. The horror written across his face told her that he hadn't meant to turn on her. Relief swept through Mira when she realized that it was just the weapon upgrade poisoning his mind. It was also another reminder that the upgrade had been nothing but bad news for everyone. She knew that if it fell into the wrong hands, it would end in disaster for everyone involved.

"Mira, I'm—"

"Save it," she sighed once he helped her back to her feet. "Let's just get this thing destroyed before _he_ finds out."

…

The plan was simple enough. Beck would have the weapon upgrade destroyed while Mira went in to rescue the captured programs. It was supposed to be easy, but somehow life never worked out that way on the Grid. She found herself skirting around the edge of the garage while keeping an eye on the mechanics that were lined up and bound in energy cuffs. Two other programs were standing nearby, wearing the same arm braces she had seen during the Argon race.

 _Those are the same programs who tried taunting Zed_ , she realized. They were nothing more than bullies as far as she was concerned. She wasn't surprised to find out that they had been working for Tesler since he arrived.

" _You_ brought them here?"

That was Mara, one of Beck's friends that he often liked to talk about. Mira remembered her being one of the programs who was with her when she woke up after passing out in the Outlands. She had seemed friendly enough during their first encounter. Though Mira couldn't bring herself to trust the greenish blue-haired program, that didn't mean she deserved to suffer at these programs' hands.

"You brought this upon yourselves," one of the brace-wearing programs sneered.

"Just to make things clear, until the renegade gives himself up you are all prisoners of war," Pavel announced, squaring himself up against the programs he had captured.

Mira glanced over her shoulder to see that Beck was inside the room with the laser beam that would destroy the weapon upgrade. All she had to do was buy him time. And maybe piss off Pavel in the process. Neither would be too difficult of a task.

"So, what about that program over there?"

Mira rolled her eyes when the darker-skinned program looked at her accusingly. Seeing his accusing look just left her shaking her head in disbelief. These programs weren't entirely bright if they thought they were fighting for the right side. And to make matters worse, his punk-friend looked equally smug with the fact that they had arrested everyone in the garage.

She was about to make a retort when a beam of energy shot past them out of nowhere. Mira had to duck just in time, narrowly avoiding a disaster waiting to happen. Of course Pavel would choose that moment to go missing. She suspected he was on his way to stop Beck.

"It's the renegade! He's come to save us!" Mara's shout of joy was cut off by another shot of the laser.

Mira guessed that it was the laser Beck had tried to use in order to destroy the weapon upgrade.

"Then who's going to save him?" Zed demanded as they watched Beck fight against a weapon-upgraded Pavel.

Because he wasn't annoying enough as it was. She wasn't surprised to see Pavel use the weapon upgrade on himself. Being the weaker of the two commanders, it made sense that he wanted to see what sort of power the upgrade provided.

"Go and help him, we can take care of ourselves," Mara added after noticing that Mira was the second renegade in question.

She hesitated for a moment – she had promised Beck that she would free his friends first. But Mara was already helping her with that by cutting herself free with the laser beam. Mira gave her a faint nod of thanks before rushing in to help Beck fight off Pavel.

"You know what I hate more than programs who follow Clu's commands?" Mira asked when she ran face-to-face with Pavel. "A program who cheats."

Mira grabbed her light sword and slammed it into Pavel's chest, but he was able to recover fast and kick her in the thigh. Pavel was annoyingly fast – another perk from the weapon upgrade. Too bad it didn't upgrade his intelligence, otherwise they wouldn't be in this mess. She was about to retaliate by punching him in the stomach when Pavel grabbed her fist and threw her across the room.

"This power is intoxicating isn't it?" Pavel's voice rose above the sirens that wailed in the garage.

 _Users he's fast_! Mira struggled back to her feet when she realized he was already in front of her, a sly grin on his face.

"What was it you said about cheaters?" he asked in a sneer.

Pavel was about to strike her down when something stopped him. Mira blinked in surprise when she realized it was Beck. He grabbed Pavel by the arms and wrapped them behind his back before taking hold of his disk, and the weapon upgrade. The commander choked out in surprise when Beck shoved him against the wall and helped Mira back to her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked for the umpteenth time that cycle.

"For the last time, I'll live," she replied with another roll of her eyes.

Beck chose that moment to destroy the weapon upgrade before Pavel could recover. They used the smoke to slip away unnoticed while everyone else recovered from the recent attacks.

As they returned to the safehouse, Mira was all too eager to get some much needed rest once it was over. These recent events were just another reminder of how vulnerable she really was. She hadn't thought of something like that since arriving in Argon City. Beck wouldn't stop apologizing for nearly hurting her, and finally she got tired of listening to his apologies, sweet as they were.

"Beck, would you please just stop? I know it wasn't your fault," she sighed when they arrived at the safehouse. "You weren't yourself."

"True, but I still had the power to stop myself before it got to that point." Mira flinched when he put a hand on her shoulder. "It shouldn't have happened."

"You're right, it shouldn't have happened." They both jumped at the sound of Tron's voice. Mira hardly noticed the security program watching them until now. "But you managed to save yourself from the temptation. This time, I'll let your mistake slide."

Mira exchanged a look of shock with Beck. She wasn't expecting a response like that from someone as strict as Tron. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she first thought.

* * *

 **AN: So I've thought it through, and I'm probably going to rewrite Rogue as well as Freedom, than probably Goodbye Ordinary :) If anyone wants to ask any questions about them, please feel free to ask me.**

 **A. - He is indeed :) I can't wait to see him in concert! And thanks, I appreciate your feedback!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

A few cycles had passed since the weapon upgrade was destroyed. Unbeknownst to Tron, Mira had hurt her back during that fight with Shaw. It had taken three full cycles for her to fully recover from the pain. Tron had not missed her lack of action in training when Beck took part in the simulations he put them through.

She refused to allow anyone know what was wrong. Part of it was out of habit. Showing that she was weak or hurt would make her look vulnerable. Another part was fear that he would never trust her to go on missions again. Either way, she had to recover on her own and suffer the consequences later.

Now the three of them were standing over the edge of the coliseum. General Tesler had called for a city-wide meeting that everyone was forced to attend. Mira suspected it had something to do with the Renegades that were 'terrorizing' the city. Since they had begun making a name for themselves, Tesler was more determined than ever to find them. She knew the bigger risks they took, the higher chances they had of making things worse for themselves and anyone involved with the Renegades.

 _There's always going to be risks involved with the revolution_ , she reminded herself silently.

"Citizens of Argon, I would like to see this city prosper as much as you would," Tesler began. "But we can't do that when there are Renegades running about. Even though it is your duty as a citizen to turn in any information on these Renegades is reward enough, I am a generous program."

Mira scoffed when Tesler claimed himself as a 'generous' program. The only time he had been helpful was when he released the two programs he hated the most from the games. And that was only because Paige had convinced him to let them go.

"As a reward for your cooperation, I am going to give the program who turns in the Renegades this roadster, the only vehicle to outrun a light jet." Mira's eyes widened when a vehicle was revealed – she had heard about these before. They were faster than a light jet, and they were very rare. "And on top of this reward I am abolishing the curfew until further notice. Congratulations programs, and happy hunting."

The crowd was roaring in excitement by the time Tesler was finished with his speech. Mira rolled her eyes when she realized how ignorant these programs were. If they thought the lack of a curfew would lead to anything good, they were dead wrong. She knew Tesler was just using this as a way to gain favoritism.

"Wow, and then that happened," Beck muttered.

"Nothing changed," Tron told him. "If anything we press harder."

"I'm sorry, but did you not just see what happened? Every program will be looking for us."

While Beck had a good point, Mira had to admit that Tron was right. This was a desperate attempt on Tesler's part. Not only did it prove that he feared the renegades, it also proved that they were finally making a statement throughout the city.

"It was a desperate move on Tesler's part, we can use it against him," Tron pointed out, voicing Mira's thoughts.

 _Wow, it's scary when he says exactly what I'm thinking_ , she thought irritably.

"No, I say we lay low until this is forgotten." Beck stared Tron down until he gave in with a frustrated sigh.

"Alright. Part of leading a revolution is knowing when to proceed and wait. I'll let you take the lead this time."

Mira's eyes widened in surprise when Tron said that. This was the first time he'd given Beck some leverage.

"Finally."

Beck grinned triumphantly before receiving a punch in the arm from Mira. This was only going to fuel his ego, and she wasn't in any hurry to deal with someone who already had one in the first place.

"So, since there's no curfew at the moment, I suppose this means I actually have the freedom of leaving the safehouse?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

Lately, Tron had refused to let her leave unless Beck needed her backup. She was getting tired of being stuck in one place all the time, especially with him. Tron was about to argue when Beck chose that moment to step up and defend her.

"It would be good for her to get out every now and then," he pointed out. "She knows the city like the back of her hand anyways."

Tron hesitated before finally coming up with an answer that surprised them both.

"Alright, fine," he sighed after giving it some thought. "But only if you wear a disguise."

"Y-You're serious?" Mira asked in disbelief, wondering if this was some kind of test. "So where do we go first?" she asked, eager to get away from Captain Buzzkill.

"I suppose we could start at the garage," Beck replied with a knowing smirk. "I'm sure Mara and Zed are already eager to stay out after curfew."

The garage was the last place Mira would have expected to visit. Then again, it had been a while since she last saw Mara and Zed without a mask. Of course that didn't mean she couldn't wear a disguise like Tron had suggested. Luckily, that was the one thing she had taught herself while living alone on the Grid – to make a proper disguise.

Beck rose an eyebrow in surprise once she was finished working with the code on her disk. Her hair had reverted back to it's original reddish brown. It was longer now, almost down to shoulder length. But that wasn't the most surprising feature she had added. She managed to cover her scars so that no one would question where she had gotten them.

"You look… different," he said after struggling to find the right word.

He would never openly admit that she actually looked beautiful. Somehow it felt wrong to say that, especially with Tron watching them like the security program he was.

"In a good way or a bad way?" Mira asked, tilting her head to one side worriedly.

The last thing she wanted was to stand out. Even if there wasn't a curfew in effect, that didn't mean programs would go out of their way just to send her to the games. The only reason they would send her to the games was if she stood out like a sore thumb.

"A good way," Beck reassured her.

As they headed for the garage, Mira took full advantage of the speed boost on her light cycle. She reminded herself to thank Zed later for the upgrade. Thanks to this speed boost she could easily get through the city faster if it was needed.

What she wasn't expecting to find were guards posted on either side of the garage entrance. Mira pulled to a stop until realizing Beck was well behind her. To her relief, they didn't have to go inside like before. Instead, Beck led her to the roof where they had a good view of the city.

"Beck, it's about time you got here!" Right on cue, Mara and Zed had arrived just when they settled on the rooftop. "And I see you brought a girlfriend," Zed added teasingly.

Mira only rolled her eyes at that, though it didn't stop the heat from rising to her cheeks. She couldn't bring herself to wonder what these programs would have done if they knew she was a User. Unease swept through her at the thought. She finally tore her gaze away and looked down at the ground warily.

"Erm… we're just friends," Beck managed to stutter out, earning a smirk from Mara while Zed smiled coyly.

"Right," Mara said knowingly. "Well, I don't think we've had the chance to introduce ourselves properly. I'm Mara," she introduced herself in a casual tone. "And this bitbrain here is Zed," she added with a sly grin towards the program rolling his eyes.

Mira wasn't sure how to respond to that. For so long she had refused to trust anyone with her name until meeting Beck. And now his friends were waiting expectantly for her to introduce herself. She suddenly found herself in an awkward position, wondering if this was a good idea after all.

"She's uh, not from around here," Beck intervened before she could think of way to avoid introducing herself.

She threw him a thankful look while Mara and Zed exchanged looks of surprise.

"Where are you from?" Zed asked this time.

"Tron City," she blurted out, earning looks of surprises from everyone. Well, it was technically true. Tron City was where she had learned to use a light cycle and her disk properly. It was also where she had been captured by Clu's soldiers. It was also the last place where she would ever want to go back. "I worked at a club in Tron City as a DJ for a few xilacycles before moving to Argon City. Life here isn't as fast-paced," she quickly explained.

"Wow, that must be exciting," Mara said thoughtfully. "You know, I've never actually been anywhere outside of Argon."

"None of us have," Zed pointed out, though Mira could see a look of unease flashing in Beck's eyes.

His friends had no idea what sort of dangers he was constantly putting himself through. She wondered if he suddenly had any regrets in becoming the renegade. After all, this sort of life wasn't easy for anyone to live. Especially when you were the most wanted program in the city.

Mira glanced down to the streets where guards were on constant patrol. Despite the curfew, programs weren't making it easy by accusing their neighbors left and right of being the renegades. She felt guilty for putting them through these trials. These programs hadn't done anything to deserve getting tossed out of their homes and placed under arrest for crimes they didn't commit.

"Hard to believe the curfew was finally lifted."

Mara broke the uneasy silence as Mira continued watching the programs down below. By now her fists had clenched as she longed to stop the guards from capturing more innocent programs. She hated not being able to do anything without giving away her position. A warning look from Beck was all it took for her to restrain herself.

"It doesn't feel like it has," Mira said under her breath. "It's not going to do them any good if the guards are out there to catch them."

"It wouldn't be this way if it wasn't for the Renegades," Zed pointed out in a bitter tone. "Unless, you're one of the Renegades."

Mira found herself stiffening when Zed pointed an accusing finger in Beck's direction. His eyes widened in shock as if Zed actually was accusing him. Then she realized that Zed was joking as he said that. She tried to regain her calm composure after noticing that it was Zed's way of trying to lighten the tension between them.

"All right, you got me," Beck laughed.

"Come on Zed, why can't we just have some fun tonight, instead of arguing about the Renegades?" Mara demanded.

"You're joking, right?" Zed glanced at Mira nervously, but she just shrugged in response.

"Mara's right, we have the night off, why don't we enjoy it?" Beck suggested after pushing Zed away.

He glanced at Mira as if daring her to say anything rude.

 _Don't look at me_ , she thought with a smirk. _They're your friends_.

"Let's just head to the club, we can chat there," Mara finally said after shaking her head in annoyance.

This time Mira didn't complain. She had only been to the club in Argon once or twice. The last club she had been to ended miserably, as that was when Beck had lost his disk. Fortunately they weren't looking for stolen identity disks.

…

It didn't take them long to reach the club. Mira usually avoided them in the hopes of not being caught by Clu's soldiers. Every now and than she would have to sneak into the clubs just to get an ounce of energy when she was on her own. Without the energy that was required to survive, she wouldn't have lasted much longer.

Already she could hear music blasting outside before Mara opened the door. According to Zed, this was where they spent most of their time off. It was a good place to find energy when it was available, and a good place to just relax.

Her eyes widened in disbelief however when she saw guards standing around all over the room. She followed Beck as he pushed his way through the crowd, while Mara and Zed were close behind.

"This isn't happening," Beck said when they managed to get out of the crowd. "This used to be our place."

"Watch it!"

Mira glared when she bumped into one of the guards. He turned and glared back, staff in hands and raised. If this had been any other situation, she would have gladly fought him off for being a jerk. But this was not the place to do that. Mara and Zed were watching her with equal surprise as they noticed just how annoyed she was with the guard.

"Mira, don't," Beck whispered, grabbing hold of her arm as her fists clenched with anger.

"Keep an eye on your friend," the guard snapped when Mira relaxed a little, but only just.

"So much for old times," Mara sighed. "I'm going home."

"Wait—" Beck was cut off by Zed's frustrated sigh.

"Mara's right, there's no point in staying," he said.

They were about to turn and leave when several guards and one of Tesler's commander stormed into the club. Mira moved to the side and narrowed her eyes when she recognized Pavel. The one program that she hated more than Clu just _had_ to arrive at that moment.

The guards had surrounded one of the programs she had seen at the garage a few cycles ago. What bothered her more than anything was that he was one of the programs supposedly working for Tesler. So why would his own try to go out of their way arresting him?

"By the name of Clu, you are under arrest for being the Renegade!" Pavel shouted.

"I knew it, that roadster could've been mine!" his annoying friend cried out in annoyance.

One of the programs standing nearby looked down at the floor shamefully when Pavel and the guards led the struggling program out of the club. Mira narrowed her eyes when she realized that this program had probably falsely accused another just so that he could win the prize.

"Why would Link accuse Hopper of being the Renegade?" Beck asked in a whisper.

"It's sick. All this reward has done is turn programs against each other," Mara added as the music began to play once more.

"That surprises you?" Mira scoffed under her breath.

She should have known that a program would take advantage of another one. Though the two programs in question had been incredibly irritating at the garage, she knew for a fact that neither were the Renegades. Heck, neither of them showed any skills at fighting or resisting the Occupation.

"Sure Hopper's a pain, but he's not the Renegade," Zed put in.

"We need to find out the truth," Beck said when he looked at Mara and Zed. Mira stepped in beside him as she began to think of why Link would have done such a thing. She already had a feeling that he wanted the roadster more than anything else. Pavel must have had something to do with what had happened. "I'm going to talk with Link and find out what happened," Beck suddenly told them.

"Right, we'll go with you," Mara said.

"No, you need to talk with Bartick, find out what he thinks about all of this," Beck replied. "He can't really believe his best friend's the Renegade."

Mira quickly turned and began to run just as Mara tried to say something in response. Beck wasted no time in following her as she rezzed her light cycle.

"Where do you suppose Link would go?" she asked as they surged through the streets.

"He would have collected the reward by now," Beck replied.

By now he had replaced his suit with the Tron suit, easily adapting Tron's persona. Mira followed his lead and replaced her own suit, taking on the identity as her own Renegade. She'd seen quite a few programs trying to accuse one another of being the second Renegade. The desperation they reeked of only made the situation that much worse. She knew full-well this wouldn't be happening in the first place if Tesler had kept his big mouth shut.

Beck was right as usual when they reached the coliseum. Sure enough, the roadster loomed ahead.

"I'm going in," Beck shouted above the roar of the engine.

Mira was about to say something in response when he turned his light cycle back into a baton. Her eyes widened when he managed to slip into the roadster undetected. She forced back a grin when she realized that this Link program wasn't as intelligent as she originally thought.

She followed them closely as the roadster swerved near a corner. Programs were congratulating Link on his capture of the renegade as he road past. Mira tried not to meet their gazes as she crept forward. They would know something was up if she moved just a little faster.

All of a sudden when they reached a tunnel she heard a shout of surprise. Mira would have laughed if there weren't guards standing around. Beck certainly acted like Tron, scaring the circuits off of programs. But it was necessary for him to stop Link and ask what had really happened.

The roadster came to a halt near the middle of the tunnel. Mira was surprised to see that the street was empty. In the distance, she could hear the roar of a crowd, and guessed that they were gathering for the execution. Her fists clenched once more as she thought of how much time they were wasting. Time that was needed to save an innocent program.

"Wait, there are two of you?" Link asked when he emerged from the roadster.

Beck leaned against the roadster while Link watched Mira get off her light cycle. His expression was full of unease when he noticed her for the first time.

"Nope. He's Tron," she replied cheekily.

She didn't miss the wary look Link gave her. He was clearly a nervous program, someone she wouldn't expect to try and get Hopper arrested for something he didn't do. Something told her that this was planned by someone bold enough to pull off such a stunt.

"Right, you need to explain to us what happened, and who accused Hopper of being the Renegade," Beck ordered after clearing his throat.

Frightened of being attacked by two Renegades, Link went on explaining how Pavel had found him admiring the roadster. Mira scoffed in annoyance when she realized that Pavel had just taken advantage of Link's weak mind. The Commander wanted Tesler to look bad in front of Clu. She knew that from the moment Pavel took the weapon upgrade he was hungry for power. Eventually, Link finished the story of how Pavel had promised the roadster if he was the one who accused Hopper and proved the program was the Renegade.

"So, what now?" Link sighed in relief as if the rush of guilt had rubbed off.

"You tell them the truth," Mira replied.

"You announce to Tesler that Hopper isn't the Renegade, and I come in and clomp you over the head, revealing myself as the _real_ Renegade, erm, Tron," Beck explained when Mira threw him a warning look.

She knew that in order to make it convincing, Beck needed to act as if he was Tron himself. While that in itself would be difficult, it wasn't impossible.

"Can you… go over that again?" Beck sighed in frustration while Mira just kicked at the street with her foot.

Link was beginning to annoy her more than Pavel and Clu. She still couldn't believe that Link was able to pull through with the plan Pavel implanted in his mind. It was obvious that he was nothing more than a coward who didn't know a thing about defending himself.

"You heard what he said, why can't you just get it straight?" she demanded.

"I'm just having trouble with the clomping over the head part," Link laughed.

Mira was about to grab him and slap him senseless when Tesler's voice boomed around them.

"Programs of Argon, your nightmare is over! One of the Renegades has been captured, along with the Renegade conspirators!"

"Oh no, they've already started!" Beck sounded panicked as he looked over the rails. "Mara, Zed!"

Mira gaped in shock when she saw Mara and Zed's image plastered across the screens that surrounded Argon Square.

"We need to get them free!" she shouted while getting into the roadster.

Beck quickly followed after realizing that she was right.

"Wait, don't forget to use the blinkers!" She heard Link shouting as Beck drove the roadster forward.

"So now we're thieves," she stated when they were far enough away.

"Don't start," Beck muttered. "Should've known Link wasn't capable of pulling off a stunt like this," he added when they reached a traffic jam. "We don't have time for this!"

He pulled the roadster back and swerved towards another street. Mira's heart raced with excitement as he swerved through the traffic.

"We should do this more often," she gasped when the roadster began rolling down stairs.

"Right, like that's going to happen," Beck scoffed.

Though, she could tell that he was actually enjoying this almost as much as she was. It had been a long time since she felt a rush of excitement like this.

Soon Mira could hear the shouts of programs as they demanded for the 'Renegade's' deresolution. She leaned forward as lights flooded through the tunnel's entrance.

"Here we go," Beck warned her as he sped forward.

Mira didn't have time to respond as he jumped into the air with the roadster. She stared at Mara and Zed in horror when she realized that they were attached to a platform. Bound by strings that were being pulled by light cycles, it was a cruel way to go. And the crowd was enjoying the torture.

Beck suddenly threw his disk at one of the ropes, and Mira threw hers at another. The ropes snapped in half, freeing Zed and Hopper. Zed dove for Mara before the light cycles could pull her apart.

"It's the Renegades!" Mara cheered when Zed cut the rope bound to her wrist.

"Mara, just before they came you were saying—" Zed was cut off by a blast coming from where Tesler and his commanders were watching.

Mira staggered at the explosive sound before jumping into the roadster as it began sliding down. Beck and Hopper jumped in after her, followed by Mara and Zed.

"Oh, this is incredible!" Mara gasped when Beck avoided another blast from Pavel's canon.

Mira tried not to laugh as the seat in the back of the roadster got crowded. Zed and Hopper were sitting beside her while Mara sat beside Beck, unaware of who he really was.

"The Renegade saved me!" Hopper shouted when they were out of the canon's range. "Wait, the Renegade… pull over!"

He swung his disk against Mira' neck just as Beck pulled to a stop.

"Zed?" Mara glanced over at Zed, who punched Hopper out of the roadster.

"Like I said, they just don't agree with me," he said when Hopper was tossed out.

"This is amazing!" Mara shouted with pure glee as they moved forward. "Thank you, for everything."

"Zed—" Mara was cut off by Zed's sigh of frustration.

"I'm just saying, we wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for the Renegades."

"We're riding in a stolen roadster with the Renegade and Tron. When have we ever had this much fun?"

Mira was beginning to drone out their argument. She knew that Mara was trying to hide her feelings for Zed, while he made it a bit too obvious. Mara had feelings for the Renegade, or Tron as she now called him too, however.

Not for the first time, Mira suddenly found herself wondering what they would say if they knew who the Renegade and 'Tron' really were. More importantly, she found herself wondering how they would react if they found out she was a User. She had no doubt that either of them wouldn't hesitate to turn her in.

"Yeah, I guess this is fun. I just wish Beck were here."

An awkward silence suddenly surrounded them as Beck sped forward. For once in her life Mira was thankful that she didn't have many friends. Now she understood how Beck had felt when he wanted to tell them the truth. It must have been hard lying to them all of the time.

"This is where we part ways," Beck suddenly told them. He pulled on the break, and the roadster suddenly split apart into a light cycle. Mara drove one cycle while Beck drove the other. "Remember, Tron lives."

Before Mara could thank him he sped forward. Mira knew that he was returning to the safehouse. Tron would never let them live this one down. Asking for time off seemed impossible when it came to Tesler running things. She suspected this was exactly what Tron had been planning the entire time.

"You know, it was actually nice having a normal cycle for once… even if it was just an act," Mira sighed once they reached the safehouse.

Beck glanced at her in surprise before remembering she didn't exactly ever have a 'normal' life.

"Well, the next time we have a day off, you call the shots," he suggested with a sheepish grin.

She couldn't help but grin back. Somehow she had a feeling that would never happen. It was a nice thought though, especially given the situation they were placed under. Maybe Zed wouldn't be so hard on Beck now that the renegades had rescued him along with Mara. Though something told her that wouldn't happen anytime soon.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

One disk flew in the direction of a certain program as he dodged it with ease and threw it right back towards the thrower. Mira only rolled her eyes as she leaped in the air and caught it before rolling forward to evade his own disk. The program was caught off balance for just a nanocycle when she managed to catch him by surprise, throwing out her leg and tripping him in the process. He didn't look upset even when she had pinned him for just a brief nanocycle. Mira was surprised to find him actually looking pleased with her progress.

"You've gotten better," Tron said once she backed off.

Mira let out a gusty sigh and stared out the window overlooking Argon City and the Outlands.

"What do you think I've been doing while you're not around?" she asked warily.

She had been overworking herself. Tron wasn't the only one to notice the affects her training had. But she knew that if she didn't get better, programs would easily take advantage of her. But there was another reason behind her constant training. This was a better way of taking her frustration out than on the programs who actually cared about her.

That in itself was something she had never anticipated when first arriving in Argon City. The only other program to actually care had actually been an ISO. Quorra had been racked with guilt when she saw what Clu had done to Mira, and she regretted putting the ISO through all of that.

Tron looked as if he was going to say something else when an alarm suddenly sounded. Mira's eyes narrowed as she saw a red light blinking on the corner of the screen he was always at. The moment she had heard that alarm was when she realized something bad was about to happen.

His eyes widened as an image on the screen became clearer, revealing a program Mira had only seen once or twice in her entire lifetime. Clu's top general had never stopped by her prison cell when she was his captive. But she long since suspected Dyson would be more than interested to know that a User was trapped on the Grid.

"Dyson."

Mira's heart raced with unease when she heard that name out loud. She'd heard enough rumors to know that Dyson was once Tron's right-hand man. But a supposed attack from an ISO had left Dyson terribly scarred, and he turned to Clu for help. Everything went downhill fast after that. It was Dyson who set up the Betrayal and helped Clu take over the Grid. And from what Mira had gathered from Beck, it must have been Dyson who gave Tron his scars.

She hadn't missed the way he was glaring at the image plastered on the screen. That cold expression reminded her all too much of the way Clu would stare at her before she was taken to the arena. A shiver ran through her when she remembered the reason why she hadn't trusted anyone right away.

Luckily she wasn't left alone for long when Beck arrived. Tron was so focused on the screen that he hardly noticed. Mira crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes after thinking of a way to break the security program out of his trance.

"What's wrong?" Beck asked after noticing the cold look in Tron's eyes.

Mira glanced at the screen nervously. She could understand why Tron was so angry and bitter. After struggling to survive on the Grid for ten User years, she knew what it was like. The abuse she had endured throughout those years had forced her to build walls around her, walls to keep out those she didn't trust and block out the past.

"Beck, I need you to come with me and do some observing," Tron rasped after turning around to face him. Mira raised an eyebrow and glared at Tron. "You can come too, but keep hidden."

His remark made Mira thankful she didn't say anything.

Okay, something was definitely wrong. Mira hadn't seen him this tense since they first met. She exchanged a look of confusion with Beck before getting ready. If Tron wanted her to tag along, she wouldn't argue. But she _would_ keep an eye on him.

Together they followed Tron across the Outlands and towards the city. Mira was surprised that he had led them to the outskirts of the city, closer to Tesler's ship. Tron was waiting for them as usual near a pile of rocks that banked over the streets.

"Your target," Tron hissed in a scathing voice. "Take a good long look."

Mira followed Beck's gaze and saw Dyson for the first time in person. Four guards were posted around him while Paige and Pavel kissed up to him.

Dyson was menacing in person. He looked eerily calm as he gazed at the city that loomed before him. The soldiers on the other hand were glancing around nervously, as if they expected an attack at that moment.

She had a feeling that Dyson's presence was also part of the reason behind their nervousness. It irked her to know that he was also there during her time in Clu's prison. He never said anything. He just stared at her for what felt like cycles before finally leaving.

"We could've done this on our own," Beck said as he watched through a pair of binoculars. "You didn't have to come."

Tron was leaning forward, almost as if he was watching his prey. Mira swallowed nervously and almost wished he _had_ stayed at the safehouse. She had an ominous feeling that Tron wanted more from Dyson than a friendly visit.

"He must be pretty important for you to come out here," Mira murmured uneasily after she found her voice.

"The only thing you need to know about him is that he's Clu's top general," Tron snapped. "I want you to bring him to the safehouse, where I'll interrogate him."

Mira stiffened in surprise while Beck looked back at Tron warily.

"Won't that be dangerous?" he asked. "He'd know about our operation… we'd have to derezz him."

Silently, Mira agreed with Beck. While Dyson had done terrible things to just about everyone who opposed Clu and his view of perfection, she still felt wary of derezzing a program. She sensed that Tron wouldn't hesitate to derezz Dyson if he was given the opportunity.

"There's a reason I want Dyson and you don't have to know about it. Just bring him to the safehouse!" Tron was getting more irritated by the nano.

"Your scar… you've been away from the healing chamber!"

Mira had barely noticed the scars along his neck getting bigger.

Her eyes widened when she realized that Beck was right. Tron had been spending less time in the healing chamber the past few cycles. He must have known that Dyson was coming to Argon. Maybe that was why he was constantly pushing her during their practice fights.

Though, truthfully, she had also been pushing herself over the last few cycles. She knew something else was bothering the security monitor. He rarely talked about his past, and if Dyson was part of said past, she had a feeling that _not_ knowing was going to bite them in the butts.

"Funny… I barely noticed," Tron muttered.

A shiver of unease crawled through Mira as they returned to the safehouse. She understood now what Tron was really after. Beck glanced at her warily when he caught her unease. He knew something was wrong when he saw the haunted look in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked when Tron sped ahead, leaving them behind.

"Something's… off about him," she replied, her voice quiet as she gazed ahead. "I've seen that look before, Beck. I can't shake off the feeling that something bad is going to happen."

Beck nodded in understanding, but he didn't have much to say that would comfort her unease. Once they reached the safehouse Tron was already preparing for the training he had promised earlier. Mira sighed in frustration as she walked over to his side. Sure enough he had prepared a simulation just for fighting Dyson.

"You need to train until you are ready to fight Dyson," Tron explained when Beck had asked what the simulation was for. "You'll be joining him. Dyson is the most dangerous and ruthless program in Clu's army. You need to remember that he'll do anything to gain an advantage over you."

Mira nodded in response and joined Beck in the simulation room. She glanced around nervously as four guards appeared in front of them. While she was no stranger to pushing herself to her limits, something about the way Tron was acting had put her on edge. Beck hadn't missed her nervousness when her fists clenched and unclenched.

"Loading simulation," a female voice echoed from nowhere.

"I still wonder where that comes from," Mira muttered under her breath as she tried to break the nerves that crept over her.

Beck grinned at her before swinging a leg at one of the guards. The guard caught him by the foot and tossed him across the room. Mira ran after two of the guards that were just standing there. She threw her disk into one of the guards and derezzed them before they could fight back. The second guard however was ready for her. He caught her by the wrist and threw her on her back. Mira cried out in surprise at the sudden impact before she kicked the guard in the chest with her legs.

"Loading Dyson level," the female voice suddenly announced.

Mira stiffened when the room suddenly changed around her. Buildings and alleyways replaced the floor and she jumped to her feet before she could fall again. She forced back a groan of annoyance when a single black guard stood in front of her.

Beck was the first to strike as he threw a fist at his opponent. The make-believe Dyson was faster and stronger than Mira had originally thought. Her eyes widened when the simulation program dodged each blow and caught Beck's wrist. She used Dyson's attack as a distraction and jumped between them before kicking him in the chest. She threw her disk at his neck but resisted the urge to derezz him.

"Finish him!" Mira froze when Tron snapped the order.

She glanced nervously at Beck, whose eyes widened in shock.

"Sorry, but that's not my thing," she replied with a shrug.

She glared at him before stepping off of the simulation program. If he thought this would gain her trust, he was dead wrong. This was exactly what she was afraid of.

"You need to go again," Tron finally muttered after an uneasy silence fell upon them.

Mira sighed in frustration as he continued training them relentlessly. Each test gradually became easier for Mira as she was usually the one who pinned Dyson to the ground. Beck was still reluctant to join in after the way Tron had reacted. After the fifth time Mira was getting tired of the tests.

"I think we've trained enough," Beck said when he noticed her growing frustration.

It wasn't just the training she was tired of. She was sick of dealing with Tron's irrational behavior. If he kept this up, she wouldn't stick around for much longer. She was thankful though that some program understood what was happening. Beck was the only program who seemed to have a sense that something was wrong. But he knew better than to speak out unless it was absolutely necessarily.

Silence followed his statement. Mira only rolled her eyes when Tron stubbornly turned around and refused to speak. Now he was just acting like a spoiled brat denied of his snack for the day. Though Mira suspected that Tron really had a good reason for wanting Dyson gone. If he was as bad as everyone claimed, maybe it would be best for that jerk to derezz.

"He's after more than just information," she murmured under her breath. Beck looked at her in surprise before she explained the odd way Tron was behaving. His eyes widened in realization when he understood what she was telling him. "I think we need to find out more about Dyson before getting in too deep. I just have a bad feeling this is going to end horribly."

"You know, that actually makes sense," Beck replied after giving it some thought. "I've never seen him act that way since we've met." Mira nodded and glanced over her shoulder warily. Luckily he wasn't able to follow her every move – sometimes being a User did have it's benefits. "So, what exactly should we do?"

"Well, for now we should follow through on our word," she explained with a shrug. "And if that doesn't work, we find out more about Dyson. Gathering intel might help us in the long-run, especially if Dyson is as dangerous as everyone claims."

For once, Beck actually allowed her to take the lead. They had reached their destination before Dyson and the commanders showing him around arrived. That was when the trap was set. It wouldn't cause too much damage to the city, just a smoke bomb to cover them while they took Dyson down. But something told Mira that Dyson would already know about it.

Mira recognized Paige and Pavel, Tesler's closest commanders. They were kissing up to Dyson as he made his way towards the building.

"Sir, I know you're eager to see our energy plant," Paige said as she stood on the right side of Dyson.

Pavel was on the other side, grinning like an idiot would as if they'd one the greatest prize of all. She knew that Dyson was a high-commanding officer, one of Clu's right-hand soldiers. So it wasn't entirely surprising to see Pavel trying to kiss up to Dyson. The whole thing was even more awkward when Dyson seemed to ignore the fact that Pavel was kissing up to him.

"In due time," Dyson replied with a wave of his hand. "I want to get a feel of Argon and meet the programs… maybe even fight the Renegades I keep hearing about."

Mira restrained a smirk when she heard that line. So rumors of the infamous Renegades had spread to Clu. That was either a good thing or a bad thing. Only time would tell.

"The Renegades are nothing more than petty vandals," Paige retorted just as Dyson lifted his hand to silence her.

Both Commanders looked alarmed as he leaned down and touched the ground. Mira stared in disbelief as images of Beck's bootprints glowed bright blue. She glanced at Beck before he pulled the trigger. Within nanos Dyson had kicked up the grenade and tossed it into the air above the Argon sign. Beck held her back as she tried to see what was happening down below.

"Smoke bomb," Dyson announced. "Harmless up there, but down here it would have left us vulnerable. For what I wonder?"

"Search the area!" Paige ordered. "Whoever did this must still be around the area." Mira's heartbeat quickened when she peered over the edge. Guards were running off in different directions as Paige stood beside Dyson. "There's only two programs who could have done this," she added in a softer voice.

"Let me guess, your _petty_ Renegades?" Dyson's voice held a scathing tone to it that sounded similar to Tron.

"Sir, my fellow Commander is being modest," Pavel explained in his usual annoying voice. "Some say the leader of the pair is actually _Tron_."

This time, Mira tried to hide the sheepish smirk that followed and glanced self-consciously at Beck. He was still recovering from the fact that Dyson had known about the smoke grenade.

"I know that Tron would have been capable of pulling off such a stunt. The Renegade certainly wouldn't have," Dyson muttered.

"You knew Tron?" Paige asked in surprise.

"Knew him? I watched him _die_."

Mira's eyes widened in disbelief when the programs left their station. She exchanged a startled look with Beck before jumping down.

"Guess that explains his motives," she sighed after looking into the distance.

She understood exactly what he was going through. There were times when she would wake up in pain, whether it was from past injuries or nightmares, it was still pain nonetheless. What bothered her more than anything was how at ease Dyson was at mentioning his part in Tron's supposed death. The rogue program was obviously not feeling any guilt or remorse for his Betrayal.

"We need to stop this before it gets out of hand," Beck suddenly said.

She nodded in agreement and followed him back to the safehouse. Knowing Tron, he was already aware they had failed at apprehending Dyson. She couldn't shake off the feeling that his punishment for their lack of skill would be far worse than she imagined.

"I thought I told you not to come back without Dyson!" Tron snapped when they got back.

Mira tried to recall when Tron had told them that.

"You never said that," she said innocently.

Tron glared at her before Beck stepped in.

"Let me get this straight, you want more than a friendly reunion with Dyson, right?" Beck folded his arms and glared at Tron accusingly.

"I have my reasons and you wouldn't understand."

Actually, Mira did understand, more than Tron would ever realize.

"Did it ever occur to you that you're not the only one with a painful past?" she managed to ask, her voice shaken with anger and frustration. She didn't miss the look of surprise flashing in Tron's eyes, and maybe that would be enough to make him think twice about what he was planning. "You aren't the only program who's suffered from the Betrayal."

This time Beck intervened, noticing the tension rising between them as Mira glared at Tron.

"I'm not going to let you derezz Dyson for revenge," Beck said after looking at Tron hopefully. "I can get his disk without having to bring him here."

She stiffened when Tron placed a hand on Beck's shoulder. The hope in Beck's eyes didn't last long when Tron suddenly flipped him over. Acting out of sheer instinct, Mira grabbed hold of her light sword and prepared herself for a fight when Tron suddenly threw a taser into Beck's chest.

He was knocked out faster than Mira could blink when Tron turned to face her.

"This is exactly why I don't trust anyone," she snapped, her voice coming out like chips of ice. "Eventually, they will try to hurt me."

For the first time, Mira noticed the haunted look in his eyes. A look she had seen in her own reflection. She wouldn't forget that look, not again. Before she could get another word in, she realized with a start that Tron had thrown another taser in her direction. In a split nanocycle her vision went dark.

The last thing she saw was Tron taking the disk he had given Beck, turning his suit back to white.

"I didn't ask for your permission."

Those were the last words she heard before blacking out.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

" **This is what happens when you trust someone."**

 **"They will betray you. It is only a matter of time."**

 **"Don't turn into a blind fool like the rest of those idiots**."

…

Mira was shaken from reality when she heard those taunting words. Her heart was racing so fast that she was afraid anyone could hear from Argon City. It wasn't until looking at Beck that she remembered what had happened. Tron had fought them both with ease. When he took them by surprise, he suddenly put a taser grenade on Beck's chest and managed to knock her out with one nanocycles later. And that was when a sense of betrayal hit her deep.

 _I knew I shouldn't have trusted him_ , she thought bitterly.

She cursed under her breath just as Beck started waking up. That was when she noticed a light cycle flying across the Outlands towards the city. The moment she saw that light cycle was when she narrowed her eyes. She should have known that Tron would steal one of their light cycles and hunt Dyson down on his own. The worst part was knowing that Tron wouldn't likely feel any remorse for derezzing Dyson. His actions were entirely justifiable, but that didn't make what he was about to do any better.

 _We shouldn't stoop down to Dyson's or Clu's levels_ , she reminded herself.

"Of all the idiot bit-brained things to do!" she exclaimed when Beck reached for his disk.

"Calm down, we can still catch up and stop him," he said reassuringly.

She heard the doubt in his voice, though. Mira glared at the window overlooking the Outlands. She should have known better than to trust him. Especially when it came to incidents like these. She followed Beck out of the safehouse and rezzed her light cycle. Tron wasn't going to get very far with her upgraded light cycle. Using her speed boost, she sped forward and caught up in a matter of nanocycles. Tron doubled back and glared when he realized that he was being followed.

"Enough!" Beck's shout nearly made Mira jump in surprise. She had almost forgotten that he stole one of Zed's upgraded cycles. Any advantage he had at that point was better than being left behind in the dust. He sped forward and rammed into the side of Tron's light cycle. "You need to stop this, now!"

She chose that moment to speed forward and slam her light cycle into Tron's. If she had startled him, he wasn't showing. Instead, he ignored their presence entirely and continued moving forward without another word. That only infuriated her further as realization dawned on her.

Tron had always reassured her that he could be trusted. But the moment Dyson returned was when that all changed. She couldn't shake off the feeling that if Clu ever returned to Argon City, his reaction would be ten times worse. He wasn't just angry with Dyson for what had happened. He was angry with himself, and with Clu for allowing it to happen. And that was what annoyed her the most. Hearing him lie about being able to trust him left her wondering if it was safe to trust anyone else on the Grid.

"I guess you lied to me after saying I could trust you," she snapped, her voice rising with anger as she glared at him. "This is the reason why I don't trust anyone!" For a moment, she saw him falter. Even that didn't seem to be enough to slow him down on his mission. "Go ahead and derezz Dyson! See what good it'll do for you."

With those final words, Mira sped off without a second thought. She passed Beck in the process, whose eyes widened in surprise at what she had said. Yes, it was ironic that she would have said that. Part of her thought back to what she would have done to Clu if she were in a similar position. She would have wanted revenge on the tyrant for everything he took away from her. Clu of all programs was the one responsible for what had happened to her. Rinzler wouldn't have used her for target practice or for any other means of abuse if Clu put an end to it. Instead, he'd allowed it to happen and left her to suffer the consequences.

 _He deserves to suffer for everything he has done_ , she reminded herself.

Though, she had a feeling Dyson was just as responsible for the horror that surrounded the Grid. Her fists clenched with anger as she came to a stop and leaned forward. Everything that had happened so far was Clu's fault. From the Betrayal to her being stuck here. He had caused more damage than anyone else on the Grid. Even Flynn couldn't have caused the amount of damage that was caused by his own creation.

Yet, knowing what Tron was after only made her feel angrier than she should have felt. If Dyson or Clu got their hands on him, they would surely repurpose him. Mira found herself shuddering at the thought of what might happen to the Grid if they did that. The end results would be disastrous. Tron was one of the greatest warriors on the Grid, and if they managed to get their hands on him, it would only give Clu that much more power over everyone.

It felt like cycles had passed before she reached the gorge. Sure enough, Beck was leaning forward, while Tron had already disappeared from view. She had no doubt that Tron had taken advantage of Beck during their light cycle race. Knowing what lay ahead, she decided the best way to approach the situation was by offering some help.

"Need a hand?" she asked when she reached Beck.

He looked up at her in surprise, then he crossed his arms when he stood up. She knew she had a lot of explaining to do. Yet, they needed to find Tron before he reached Dyson. If they could somehow reach him and stop him from derezzing Dyson, at least she would feel slightly satisfied.

"Where did you go?" he demanded.

"Look, you and I both know that Tron can't be caught by Clu or Dyson," she sighed. "There's no telling what they'll do once they find him." She already knew what would happen, but it was better not to scare Beck. He was already confused enough with Tron's strange behavior. "Anyways, I already know what it's like to want revenge. I want revenge on Clu in the worse way, but this isn't the way to get it."

"Then we need to find Tron and stop him before he gets to Dyson," Beck said after pulling out the map he had used in the tunnels.

Mira stared at the map in surprise and realized that Beck had put a tracking device on Tron's light cycle.

"Very sneaky," she murmured while trying to hide a grin.

The blinking light that represented Tron told them that was headed for the energy plant Paige had mentioned a few millicycles ago. With Tesler's commanders watching Dyson's every moves, the odds of getting to him were slim. If one weren't Tron. The security monitor would find a way to get to Dyson. Especially since he was looking for revenge. A shiver of unease swept through Mira at the thought of what he would do to Dyson once he did find him.

She followed Beck closely as he led the way towards the energy plant. They had to find a gap narrow enough for Beck to jump over the gorge before making their way to the city. After that it was a surprisingly smooth ride. There were a few guards posted here and there throughout the city, but it seemed most of them were lounging out near the edge of a large structure. She was relieved when none of them noticed their approach. They kept well out of the way and out of sight, looking for entrances where there weren't guards posted.

Beck didn't waste time in following the trail that Tron had left. Mira eyed the map curiously as the light blinked. With a sigh she followed him, but not before putting back on her Renegade disguise. She had to remember that she stood out, especially with programs like Dyson in the area. If Dyson discovered that she was with them, she had no doubt in the back of her mind that he would take full advantage of her being a User. And she sure as heck wasn't in any hurry to allow that.

They moved carefully throughout the energy plant, avoiding the searching gazes of Tesler's guards. If Tron could get past them, so could they. It seemed like cycles had passed before they finally reached where Tron was hiding. Mira ducked behind one of the metal barrels when Beck got ready to jump down to meet Tron.

"You found me," Tron said in an icy tone. "I suppose I should congratulate you."

Mira felt unease crawl through her when he said that. There was just something about the way he spoke that made her feel on edge. He reminded her so much of Clu when she was being held in his prison. Though she would never admit it out loud, Tron was beginning to make her feel more uncomfortable than ever.

"I was trained by the best," Beck replied after jumping down to meet him.

It took every ounce of willpower not to join them as Mira listened. She knew that interfering now wouldn't get them anywhere. He was already on edge as he kept an eye on Dyson and the two commanders. If he saw her now, she had a feeling that things would spiral out of control. All of the anger and unease she felt towards Tron suddenly returned ten-fold when she heard the tone of his voice.

"Being here doesn't change anything. Neither of you can stop me."

Tron spoke in a matter-of-fact voice that made Mira's skin crawl with anger. When she peered around the corner, she saw that the haunted look had returned in Tron's eyes.

Not for the first time, she had to remind herself that he'd suffered just as much as she had during the Betrayal. He'd lost everything, just like she had. As much as she loathed to admit it, they shared something in common.

"Please, you don't have to do this," Beck insisted as he placed a hand on Tron's shoulder. There was so much hope in his voice, but Mira knew that it was a lost cause. "We can find Dyson's disk without derezzing him."

Mira narrowed her eyes when Tron turned around to face Beck. She grimaced when she saw the hope in Beck's eyes. After seeing the way Tron was acting recently, she realized he wasn't about to give Beck what he was hoping for. Instead he did something unexpected. He threw the surprised mechanic into a nearby rail, catching him by surprise.

Beck tried fighting back by swinging a fist towards Tron's face, but he caught Beck by the fist. Within the blink of an eye Tron managed to bind Beck to the rail with a handcuff and grabbed his disk at the same time.

"My disk!" Beck reached out for it, but Tron pulled away.

"The cuffs work on a timer. By the time they're undone, Dyson will be dead."

Tron threw Beck's disk into one of the containers before jumping down.

"Tron, don't end the revolution before it has a chance to start!" Beck cried.

There was no point in stopping Tron now. He wasn't going to let either of them interfere with his plans. Mira knew at that point that fighting him would only lead to disaster. While he was still heavily scarred and suffered from said scars, that didn't mean he wasn't capable of fighting back.

Mira realized that she had to get Beck's disk if she wanted to stand any chance against Tron. She jumped down and was about to grab it when mist began swirling around the floor of the energy plant.

"Energy levels overload," a voice announced when alarms buzzed around them.

"Forget my disk, stop Tron," Beck ordered when Mira was about to reach out.

She glared at him and was about to argue that it was pointless. Suddenly an explosion shook the area, sending jolts of surprise through Mira. She staggered to the side as the bridge Beck was bound to snapped in half.

She gasped when she rolled down the side of the bridge. Mira did the only thing she could think of and grabbed Beck by the boot before falling.

"Great, now we're both trapped!" she grumbled.

If they weren't in danger of falling Mira would have laughed at the situation. Beck really looked like a child struggling for a piece of candy as she held on for dear life. He was still reaching out for his disk when he stopped and groaned in frustration.

"I'm going to swing you up," he suddenly told her. "Grab my disk if you can."

Mira nodded as determination suddenly took over. If they could just reach the other side and grab his disk, then maybe they could stop Tron. It was so high up, but once Beck swung her up she realized that she could reach his disk. She managed to pull the disk out before falling onto the bridge. Almost as soon as she had grabbed the disk she nearly smacked herself in the forehead.

 _Duh, I could've used my own disk to free him_! she realized. She didn't have time to think about it as she cut the handcuff in half. Beck managed to jump back onto the bridge, but not before staggering once more. The bridge was beginning to collapse even more.

"We need to get to the other side," she shouted as the sound of metal screeching echoed around. The noise made her skin crawl as she jumped onto the other side of the bridge. Beck followed her soon after before they made jumped from container to container. Mira gasped when she nearly slid off of one of the containers. Beck grabbed her before she could fall. "At this rate we'll never get there in time!" she exclaimed after shaking off the shock that had coursed through her.

"Looks like we don't need to." Beck's words caught her off guard.

She stood behind him and stared in disbelief when her eyes caught something in the mist. Tron had found Dyson. The two programs were fighting, black versus white. It didn't seem real as Mira watched Dyson knock Tron to the ground.

"Show yourself Renegade! Tron would have put up a better fight than you!" Dyson shouted as he threw his disk across Tron's neck.

Tron caught Dyson by surprise by throwing the program off with his legs. Mira watched the scene unfold with wide eyes as Dyson swung his disk. It was attached to what looked like an energy string that made a whirring noise. Tron managed to catch the disk by putting his wrist in the middle. He cut the energy string with his own disk. Dyson's eyes widened in alarm when Tron gained the upper advantage.

Tron suddenly unveiled his mask. Dyson stared at Tron in horror and tried backing into one of the containers.

"No, I watched you die!" Dyson cried as Tron blocked a blow from his disk.

"You watched _me_ die? Now I will watch you die!" Tron sounded more ferocious than ever as he glared coldly at Dyson.

"You may have survived, but it's not much of a life is it? Let me guess, you're living in a cave with a healing chamber?"

Mira cringed at the way Dyson spoke. Something about the tone in his voice made her almost _want_ him derezzed. But as she watched Tron pin Dyson towards a container of energy, she realized that derezzing him wouldn't solve their problem.

"You need to feed off of energy in order to survive, don't you? That was my gift to you. Clu can make you perfect again, but only if you are willing to join us!"

Now Dyson sounded desperate as he tried to avoid Tron's glare.

"I'd rather die than become a puppet of that tyrant!" Dyson tried to fight back, but Tron was faster.

Within a nanocycle Tron had knocked Dyson aside and grabbed the program by the chest. For a moment, Mira thought she couldn't watch what would happen next. Beck's eyes widened in horror when Tron held Dyson. He'd placed a disk beside Dyson's neck, just barely avoiding the skin. But there was something other than revenge in Tron's eyes. Mira tilted her head to one side when Tron dropped his opponent to the ground.

"You're only alive for one reason," Tron hissed in a scathing tone. "To deliver a message."

He tossed Dyson's disk aside carelessly before disappearing into the building mist. Beck sighed in relief before backing away. Mira followed soon after watching Dyson's panicked expression. She was amused that the program was so terrified. It served him right for what he had done.

"We should get back," Beck whispered.

Mira wasn't too thrilled with that idea. After the way Tron had treated them both, she wasn't in any hurry to see him again. It felt as if he was the one who had betrayed her trust. Considering that was all he had asked for after finding out she was a User, she knew that trusting him again would be almost impossible.

Sure enough when they returned Tron was in the healing chamber. Mira remained icily silent as Beck leaned against the wall while waiting for him to finish.

"It was never about getting Dyson's disk, was it?" he asked after the silence became uncomfortable.

"No, we both knew what I was after," Tron replied after stepping out of the healing chamber. "But you helped make me realize it." He glanced at Mira, who was still glaring. "I owe you a thanks, and an apology."

"Apology not forgiven," she snapped while crossing her arms. "After everything you said to me about being able to trust you… it was all a lie!" Tron actually flinched when she said that, and she didn't miss the look of surprise Beck gave her. "I've spent my whole life realizing that in the end, someone will betray me."

She added the last part under her breath, cursing a few times before looking away. Despite everything that had happened in the recent cycles, she knew that Beck couldn't lead this revolution on his own. Seeing the look in his eyes told her that.

"So does this mean we get a break from training?" Beck asked hopefully.

"What do you think?" Tron countered his question while smirking slightly.

 _He actually has a sense of humor_ , Mira thought with realization. Though it didn't help resolve the fact that Tron did this in the first place. She wasn't in any hurry to forgive him after _that_ incident. The only thing she could do was roll her eyes and hope that he would learn from his mistake. She wouldn't trust him anytime soon after what he did.

"We'll continue your training in the next cycle," Tron suddenly said. "For now, you both need rest."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

The program was running from guards as a warning siren sounded. Mira watched with interest as she fled towards a bridge. The guards were on high alert now with more programs breaking curfew. Lately this was all they had been doing. Tron had them on high alert as well since Tesler was rounding up so many programs for the games. She and Beck were working together on more missions now to rescue the captured programs, and so far their missions had ended successfully every time.

For the first time since they had started training together, it felt as if they were making a difference. And that seemed to drive Tesler crazy. Mira knew it was only a matter of time before he started doing worse things than arrest programs for breaking curfew.

The program had climbed to the top of the bridge after being surrounded by the guards. Mira's eyes widened when she realized that the program was being followed by one of the guards. He waited for her at the top of the bridge, where the program let out a surprised yelp.

"Well, it's good to know they have a dark sense of humor," Mira muttered with a roll of her eyes, her voice disguised by her mask.

"Yeah, and if we don't stop them those programs will be sent to the games," Beck added when he joined her.

"So I'm guessing this was the 'mission' Tron assigned us to?" There was an edge to her voice when she mentioned the mission.

Ever since his fight with Dyson, the tension had become more noticeable. Beck didn't miss the fact that Mira had been avoiding Tron since they returned from that fight. It was obvious she felt uneasy around him, despite her promise to trust him so many cycles ago. Mira was just thankful to get out of the safehouse and away from the security program. Even if Tron was watching them now, she felt a little safer.

"Time to go."

Beck jumped down the building and ran down the stairs that were along the edge. He was wearing his disguise, while Mira wore her 'renegade' disguise. The program had fallen into what looked like a pit created by the staffs the guards used.

 _Where have I seen that before_? Mira wondered when she followed him. Beck was given a staff before they left the safehouse. It was longer than Mira's light sword, and it had the power to drop the floor beneath a program's feet. They had been testing the weapon out before they were sent out onto the field with it. When Tron explained how to use it, she wondered why they hadn't been given the weapon before. She suspected he didn't think they had the experience to use such a device.

She didn't have time to ponder over it when they reached the recognizer the captured program was led to. Mira climbed to the top after Beck took the lead.

"You're too late!" Beck's shout made the guards look up in surprise. He jumped down from the recognizer and landed on the platform in front of them. "Now come on, let's just talk about this."

Mira nearly rolled her eyes at the smugness in his voice. Beck was handling the guards, which left her time to free the captured programs. The one good thing about these missions was that his confidence had gone through the roof over the last couple of cycles.

She went inside to see that they were all lined up in a row. Most of them were programs that must have had jobs or some kind of life. None of them deserved to get derezzed. They looked up in surprise when she freed them.

"It's the Renegade and Tron," one of the programs announced.

Beck had used his staff to trap the guards in a hole after Mira led the programs out. She couldn't help but grin sheepishly when they lined up in front of them. It was good to know that they had been making so much of a difference lately. She knew that things could have turned out differently had they not shown up on time. Maybe now programs would begin standing up for themselves when they saw what the renegades were capable of.

"Thank you!" another program sighed in relief when Beck freed them from their cuffs.

"You've all heard about Tron, right?"

Beck stood beside Mira as she eyed the last program to be caught. She would have made a good renegade if she was faster. She was staring at Beck hopefully as he freed her last. The only thing they could do at that point was remind them that they had something to fight for. And that they had the ability to fight for their freedom, even if Clu made it seem impossible.

"How can we thank you?" she asked after rubbing her wrists.

"Next time, don't get caught," Mira told her. "And remember."

Before the program could ask what she meant by that, Mira turned around and rezzed her light cycle. Beck followed soon after the program shouted something. Mira guessed she was trying to figure out what Mira meant by 'remember'.

"That went well," Beck said when they made their way back to the Outlands.

"So, the staff worked, I'm assuming?" Mira eyed the staff curiously.

Beck gave her a sheepish grin before speeding forward.

Mira just narrowed her eyes and did the same until they reached the safehouse. For the most part their mission was a huge success. The guards had been caught _off_ -guard thanks to Beck's quick thinking. And thanks to them, several programs were freed from the games.

 _So this is what it feels like to be a hero_ , Mira thought as she followed Beck into the safehouse. She was hardly aware of how satisfying it felt to actually start making a difference. When she first agreed to fight alongside Beck for the sake of taking Argon City back from Tesler, she didn't realize what that would entail. Now, she began to see notice how much their of a difference their progress was making throughout the city.

She stiffened upon seeing Tron waiting for them as usual. She hadn't made eye contact with him since that fight with Dyson. It didn't help the fact that recently she had been suffering from constant nightmares while trying to sleep. Most of them were just normal nightmares, but there were some that would result in Tron fighting her rather than Rinzler.

"You both did well," Tron told them when Beck explained what had happened. "Now that more programs know what you're fighting for more will join the cause."

"Would this happen to give us enough of a chance for a break?" Mira asked hopefully, earning a look of surprise from Beck.

Usually _he_ was the one asking for breaks from their missions. Mira was just looking for an excuse to get away from the safehouse. The less time she spent cooped up in the safehouse, the better off everyone was. Especially when she thought of the way Tron had handled the Dyson incident.

"Tesler will be rounding up more programs for the games," he explained. "He's already sent trains to capture programs that have broken curfew or any laws that Clu invoked."

"Maybe it's time we showed them that it's worth fighting back," Beck spoke up.

"So I'm guessing that's a no."

Mira crossed her arms and glared when she realized that she was being ignored. It wasn't the first time they had ignored her presence entirely, and she doubted it would be the last. It annoyed her that Tron of all programs seemed to forget that she was standing there at the moment. At least Beck had the audacity to look at her when she spoke up.

"I've gotta get back to work before Able finds out I'm gone," Beck suddenly announced.

He glanced at Mira nervously before backing away. He'd begun noticing the tension between them. Even he couldn't stand being around them when the tension was so high. She only rolled her eyes again and tried to ignore the annoyance that flared within her.

Once he was gone an awkward silence filled the room. Mira refused to make eye contact with Tron once again as a few nanocycles went by. She couldn't after everything that had happened. And so the security program returned to his healing chamber after realizing she wouldn't speak.

Suddenly, she found herself wishing she could return to a time when none of this was happening. Mira hated to admit that she missed the days when she knew nothing about Tesler taking over Argon, or the Renegades. Yet, part of her was glad that she had met Beck. He wasn't like any of the programs she had met before. He gave the programs of Argon a sense of hope, something she could have never done on her own in the past.

…

Mira was startled from her nap when the door to the safehouse swung open. She made her way down the stairs to see that Tron was still in the healing chamber. Beck was sitting at the edge of a table, looking more annoyed than usual.

"What do you mean you have no choice?" Tron demanded when Beck sighed in frustration.

"I need to free those programs before the end of the cycle, or they'll be sent to the games. It's my fault they were captured again."

Mira's eyes widened when she realized that Tesler must have captured the programs they rescued. Her fists clenched as she thought of how Tesler knew which programs to target. Either those programs were really stupid or Tesler was really smart.

"He's baiting you Beck," Tron snapped.

"Maybe I can free them before the fight." Tron looked at Mira in surprise, but she avoided his gaze. "While you're getting ready to fight Tesler I can free the programs that were captured," she explained.

The look Beck gave her was one she had become all too familiar with when it came to making what sounded like decent suggestions. She had never fought a general before, but he couldn't be any tougher than his commanders.

"Beck can free the prisoners before the fight takes place," he explained.

Mira's eyes narrowed with annoyance when she realized Tron was just looking for an excuse to keep her out of the fight. Being a User didn't mean that she was incapable of fighting back. She had already proven that many times over.

"So what exactly am I supposed to do?" she demanded.

"Just stand around and do nothing," Beck suggested with a grin.

Mira chose that moment to slug him in the arm, earning a sheepish smirk from him. Tron gave Beck an amused look before looking back at Mira, who avoided his gaze.

"You can go with him, but come back as soon as he's finished."

Eventually, Mira sighed in defeat and nodded. At least she could do something to pass the time. It was better than spending her time with Tron.

It was decided that she would go with him and observe rather than take part in the fight. Mira was just relieved to get away from the safehouse rather than stay stuck with Tron. Any chance to get away was better.

"I need to stop by the garage first," Beck told her as she fell in beside him. "Able's going to kill me for skipping out on work again," he added under his breath.

She stiffened at the mention of Able. It had been several cycles since she saw him. Able was one of the few programs who actually offered her a place to stay. Seeing him again could either be a bad thing or a good thing.

 _I don't think I want to know how he would react to seeing me again_ , she thought. _There's no telling how he would react if he knew I was a User_.

Then again, Beck's reaction had taken Mira by surprise. The last thing she expected was for him to feel sympathetic towards what Clu had done to her. More than anything though, he had been mortified when he found out about the treatment she suffered from while she was on her own. Beck was one of the few exceptions to her rules of programs she could or couldn't trust for that reason.

"Does he even know what you're doing?" Mira knew what the answer would be, but she couldn't resist asking.

Able seemed like a wise program who would know exactly what his employees were up to.

"Doubtful," Beck replied.

It didn't take them long to reach the garage. Programs were hanging outside or chatting about the big fight that Tesler had promised. Mira waited near the entrance while Beck wandered inside. A mask hid her face from curious onlookers as she leaned against the wall. She was using the disguise she had used when meeting Mara and Zed. They had seemed friendly enough when they first officially met, and Mira was actually eager to see them again.

Nanocycles seemed to pass before Mira began pacing along the garage's entrance. Beck was taking longer than she expected. Part of her wondered if he had gone off on his own, leaving her behind. Then she reminded herself that this was the only way into the garage, at least the only one she knew of.

After the next few nanocycles passed, Mira shrugged and walked inside. She was getting wary of waiting so long. By now guards were beginning to approach the garage as the time for the battle drew closer.

Mira wasn't surprised to see Mara and Zed among the programs working in the garage. She spotted Able talking with two other programs that were working on a truck. Mira stopped when she saw that Beck was working alongside Zed.

"Hey Beck, I heard Able came down hard on you," Mara announced when she approached them.

Beck groaned in annoyance and was about to say something in response when he spotted Mira. His eyes widened when Zed pulled out from under the light cycle.

"Wait, you heard? Who else knows?" Beck's voice was filled with annoyance.

Mira crossed her arms as she listened to them. Obviously, Able had punished Beck for getting back late.

"Well… everyone," Mara replied hesitantly.

"I don't believe it." Mira restrained a laugh as Beck sighed in frustration.

"Me neither," Zed said once he stood up. "No offense to Beck, but you'd think _everyone_ would be talking about the Renegades' surrender!"

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Mara stared at Zed in surprise when he rolled his eyes.

"I thought I just said it!" he muttered.

That was when he realized Mira was watching them with a sheepish smirk. This had to be the funniest thing, seeing the look Beck was giving Mara when she told him about his punishment only made things all the sweeter.

"Hey guys," she greeted them warmly when Zed's eyes widened in surprise.

She was struggling not to laugh at Beck's expression when Mara and Zed exchanged knowing looks. It was clear that they weren't expecting him of all programs to have a visitor. His friends seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she had been at the garage before, which made the moment that much better.

"Anyways, can I borrow you Zed? I need someone with small, feminine hands," Mara said with a roll of her eyes.

By now, Mira was struggling to hold back her laughter. Mara had just dissed Zed in front of Beck, and he seemed perfectly okay with it.

"I'm your guy," Zed announced as Mara pulled him away.

By now Mira had lost it. She could barely breathe as she laughed at Zed's sheepish expression. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard.

"Are you done yet?" Beck tried looking at her seriously, but even he was holding back a laugh.

"Okay, so do I even want to know?" Mira asked after finally catching her breath.

"Look, I can't free those programs with Able watching me," he explained. "You're going to have to take my place."

Mira's eyes widened in disbelief when she looked back at Able. He was glaring at Beck, but when he looked at Mira his expression changed. Unease swept through her when she felt his gaze boring through her. When they first met after she asked to get her light cycle fixed, he'd been quick to offer her a place to stay at his garage, and even a place to work. Now, Mira suspected that he would quickly change his mind if he knew what she was, and who she was working for.

She followed Beck to where the lockers were located as he explained what had happened. Apparently he had run into Able when he tried getting his counter disk. In response to his reaction Able had punished him by grounding him to the garage.

"Wait, so you want _me_ to fight Tesler?" Mira's voice was stiff with disbelief. "You do realize that you-know-who will kill you when he finds out."

"I don't have another choice," Beck muttered. "Besides, you've been training for this. I'm sure he'll understand once he sees you fight."

Mira looked down at the floor doubtfully. She wasn't sure if she was ready. Sure she had fought Rinzler, but that was because it was a forced fight. She barely survived those fights, and she only survived thanks to Quorra's help. Her mind was already trying to think of numerous excuses to get out of this challenge. If anything did happen to her, she knew Beck would take the full blame, and something told her that was the last thing that should happen.

Before she could complain, Beck handed her the disk that Tron had given him. She stared at the disk in shock before she took it.

"This better not be what I think it is."

Mira hid the disk from view when she heard Able's voice. She whirled around to see him watching them warily – no – angrily. She couldn't help but flinch at that. She suddenly found herself wondering if Able would recognize her from the first time she'd paid the garage a visit.

 _I'm glad I chose to wear a disguise this time_ , she thought after realizing he would've recognized her had she not chosen a disguise.

"I just needed to get my wrench," Beck explained when he reached into his locker.

"Beck, whatever it is you need to do, it can wait." Able sounded more concerned than angry as he placed a hand on Beck's shoulder. "Get back to work. And you'd better not come back here. My employees have been distracted enough as it is."

He glared at Mira, who simply shrugged in response. Though she didn't miss the look Beck threw her when Able mentioned 'distracted'. She looked away guiltily at the thought of being the reason behind that.

 _Great, so now I have to take his place_ , Mira thought as she followed Beck down below. It seemed unreal that she would have to take on Tesler. And what would Tron say if he knew what she was up to? He would know that something was up, especially since she hadn't returned yet.

Once she stepped outside she fumbled around with the disk until it latched with her own. Mira gasped in surprise when her suit was replaced with white.

 _Okay, this definitely doesn't look right_ , she thought as she studied the white 'T' mark on her suit. But Beck was right, Tesler didn't ask for Tron. He had asked for the renegade.

She sped off towards Argon square after waiting for the programs to leave the garage. Link had stayed behind to keep an eye on Beck, but she doubted Beck would sit still while she fought Tesler. She was however surprised to see how empty the streets were when she sped through them.

 _I've gotta make an entrance_ , Mira reminded herself when she reached for a baton Beck had given her. It was a light jet, and though she didn't really know how to fly them now would be a good time to learn.

Mira rezzed the light jet baton and pulled up into the air. She looked down to see that a crowd had gathered around Argon square. Down below she could hear Tesler giving some kind of speech about freedom and perfection, mostly the usual crap programs seemed to fall for.

"Programs of Argon, I appreciate you coming out on such a momentous occasion. It proves that you care about your city. But I can't help noticing the absence of a certain program. Where is the Renegade? He doesn't care about you. But let's not dwell on the past. Instead, let's look upon a new era. An era of Clu, of perfection!"

Mira's eyes rolled for the umpteenth when images of Clu's mask flashed across the screens that surrounded the square along with the words ' _Perfection is Freedom_ '.

She hovered nearby and spotted the programs Tesler rounded up. Fortunately, the female program that had been caught last wasn't among them. She studied Tesler himself and felt her stomach clench.

He was menacing in person. His face held an aura of calm as he studied the crowd that was cheering. Wrapped around his shoulders was an elegant cape that had orange circuits along the edge. Standing on either side were his commanders Paige and Pavel. Neither of them seemed unaware of the light jet circling the square.

Mira dropped the light jet until it swerved towards one of the screens. Programs cried out in surprise when she crashed through, forcing back her own gasp as one of the edges cut through her skin. Her teeth ground together when she rolled onto the platform below.

"What did I miss?" Mira stood up and whirled around to gaze up at Tesler, whose eyes had narrowed as he glared at her. "You wanted me, here I am?"

Mira was surprised when she heard her own voice. She had disguised it to sound deeper and masculine. Though they didn't know what gender the Renegade was, Mira didn't plan on giving herself away anytime soon.

"I see that, you certainly took your time," Tesler replied as he silenced the crowd.

Oh how she wished she could have seen the look on his face if he actually knew who or _what_ he was fighting.

"You got what you want! Now let them go!" Mira looked down at the line of captured programs warily.

All of them looked hopefully at their capture, who waved to one of the guards.

"Normally I don't negotiate with terrorists, but I'm a program of my word."

Mira narrowed her eyes at his response. The captured programs were released from their handcuffs, they looked at Mira thankfully before running off.

"And the curfew?"

Mira remembered what Beck had said about Tesler's promise in lifting the curfew. Getting him to admit that the curfew was unnecessary and could be ended would be a huge improvement.

"Now let's not get greedy," Tesler replied in a sneer. "The deal was surrender. I've been waiting far too long for this. The end of the Renegade."

"I'm not the renegade," Mira announced as she began to pace. "I'm Tron!"

It sounded strange to say his name, especially after the amount of anger she had felt towards him earlier. But it was fitting to face Tesler as Tron in disguise.

"Let's finish this somewhere more, _private_."

There was a sneer to his voice when he said that. Once again Tesler raised his hand. The guards stepped forward and held up what looked like the same staff Beck had used. Mira's eyes widened in alarm when she realized what was about to happen.

She ran towards the crowd, but before she could reach them the floor began to break apart. Mira gasped in panic when she slipped and began falling. She crashed into windows that shattered into pieces. Mira struggled back a cry of pain when she landed where the screen's edge had cut before.

Tesler followed her soon after. His cape seemed to flow in the breeze as he avoided the shards.

"You think those programs are going to stand for you?" Tesler demanded when he reached the bottom. "They follow the law. The _state_ is my law!"

Mira jumped to her feet when Tesler's cape was replaced with what looked like a canon strapped to his arm. Only it was bigger than a regular canon, and his feet had latched to the floor. It as at that moment she realized his arms had become more than just extensions. And she realized just how badly this was going to end.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat and she had to jump to avoid several blasts at once. Tesler was really giving it all out as she managed to kick him in the face. The general let out a snarl of disgust when he grabbed her by the foot. Mira stared at Tesler in dismay when he threw her into the wall. She forced back a cry as her back was slammed into the wall, leaving a dent in the process.

 _Users he's tough_! she realized when Tesler's arms suddenly shot out. Mira gasped when she realized that he was using extension arms. _Cheater_! she would have shouted, but that wasn't something Tron would say.

Pain seared through her when Tesler grabbed her mask. She tried fighting back by punching him in the chest, but Tesler simply smirked and threw her into a wall. Once his hand had gotten a good grip on her helmet, that was when everything went from bad to worse.

The burning pain that followed was something she hadn't expected to feel. This was nothing compared to what Rinzler would do to her in that arena. But knowing that she wouldn't last much longer only made things that much worse.

Even getting away from his firm grip was difficult as she felt surges of energy course through her. She tried reaching out for her disk when the sound of an engine suddenly echoed around them.

Mira's eyes widened in disbelief when a light cycle suddenly flew past them. The driver raised up their disk against Tesler's arm extension. The general let out a gasp of shock when the disk cut the extension in half before speeding off.

"How, who?"

Tesler's searching gaze reached the driver of the light cycle, who revved their engine in an attempt to scare him off.

"You want this to end? End it!"

Mira reached for her disk and fought another gasp of pain. The cut on her arm was beginning to sting more than ever after what Tesler had done to her.

"No, we're finished here."

Before Mira could reply to that, Tesler backed away into the platform he'd used to get down. Mira stared in disbelief before she looked back at the driver. The light cycle was already disappearing through the tunnel.

Relief washed over Mira when she realized that the fight was over. She threw out her own light cycle baton and sped off before Tesler's guards could catch her. Luck was on her side this time. She wasn't sure if she would have survived had the stranger not shown up.

 _Speaking of strangers, who in the Users_ was _that_? she wondered as she sped through the streets of the city. It couldn't have been Tron; he wouldn't make such a risky move. Maybe Beck did manage to sneak out of the garage after all. Either way she was saved from getting caught.

Once she was far enough away from the garage she took off the disk that Beck had given her. Most of the programs were still back at the square. That left Mira enough time to get back to the garage before Tron found her. She couldn't _wait_ to see what he would say when that happened. Emphasis on the 'wait' part.

Sure enough when Mira reached the garage she saw that Beck was pacing around. Zed and Mara were working on another tank when Mira approached them.

"Beck!" Mara shouted when he reached them. "Where have you been? Able's been looking all over for you!"

"I heard, I'm avoiding him," Beck explained.

Mira smirked when she realized that he did manage to get away from Link.

"And what better way to avoid him than in his own garage?" Zed asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Beck, my office, now. Bring your friend with you." Able's voice made Mira jump in surprise.

She hadn't realized until then that he was hiding in his office. A shiver of unease swept through her as she thought of the numerous excuses she could use to get out of this confrontation. She had been dreading the moment they would meet again, especially if Able knew that she was a User.

Beck groaned when he walked towards the office. Mira could hear Zed and Mara commenting on how they were glad they weren't in his place right now.

"Look, I'm sorry I broke my promise—" Beck tried making an excuse once they sat down in front of Able, but he cut him off.

"Beck, stop. What I'm going to say, I hoped I would never have to say." Beck's eyes widened while Mira shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "How did you two become the Renegades?"

Mira could only stare at Able in shock. How did he even know? The look Able was giving them told her everything she needed to know. He had known all along, but he wanted to give Beck a chance to confess on his own terms.

"Well, there's a funny story to that," Mira began as she exchanged a look with Beck. Could she trust Able enough with what she was about to tell him? "It's been so long since I've trusted anyone other than you with what I'm about to say," she added after taking an uneasy breath.

"I know that you're a User." Able's comment made her eyes widen in disbelief. "The moment I found you by the garage, it was easy to tell the difference."

She bit the bottom of her lip as she tried to comprehend what just happened. Knowing that someone else knew should have made her feel better. But Mira realized with a start that the more programs knew about her, the more danger she and everyone around her were in.

"So that was you in the fight against Tesler, wasn't it?" she asked after thinking it over.

"Now how could an old program like me take on general Tesler?" Able was trying to sound modest as he grinned sheepishly.

"About what I said earlier, I'm sorry," Beck murmured. Mira glanced at him in surprise before shaking her head.

"Forget about it," Able simply told him. "It couldn't have been easy keeping such a secret." He looked more seriously at Mira as an uncomfortable silence fell upon them. "And as for you, where exactly _did_ you go?"

Mira studied the table they sat around before thinking of what to say. Either Able knew that Tron was alive or he was playing them into Tesler's hands. She knew that sooner or later they were going to have to tell the truth.

"You can tell me about it when you're ready," Able suddenly said.

A sigh of relief escaped from Mira's lungs. Able smirked in amusement when the tension faded. He knew that she was safe and alive. And for some reason, it felt as though a huge weight of guilt had been lifted from her shoulders.

Speaking of shoulders, she really needed to get that wound checked out. She glanced at Beck before standing up and stretching.

"Where exactly did _you_ go after getting away from Link?" she asked curiously.

Beck only shrugged in response, looking more sheepish than before.

"Well, I _was_ going to help you in the fight when I saw Able on his way there," he explained wryly.

She nodded at that and thought of everything that just happened. Able was more than aware of the truth surrounding her, and she had a feeling he knew Tron all too well.

"I think I should go before you know who bursts a circuit," she announced. Able smirked at the comment, somehow she felt as though he knew who she was talking about. "I'll see you later."

Mira tried not to wince as she rezzed her light cycle and sped off towards the Outlands. The wounds she had received from Rinzler weren't nearly as painful as this one. The edge of the glass must have opened an old wound, or cut deeper than she'd originally thought. It didn't take long to reach the safehouse, and once inside Mira spotted Tron waiting near the panel that overlooked the Outlands.

If she wasn't in so much pain she would have laughed at his expression. Either the loss of blood was getting to her head, or she found this situation all the funnier.

"What in the name of Users were you _thinking_?" His eyes were like chips of ice when her mask receded.

"Nice to see you too," Mira replied with a roll of her eyes. "I know it was stupid of me to take on Tesler, but we didn't have a choice. Able grounded Beck so I offered to take his place in the fight."

"Able knows?" Tron tilted his head to one side, and Mira rubbed her arm uncomfortably.

"He kind of saved me from Tesler," she admitted. "But I could've taken him if—"

"No, you couldn't," Tron cut her off, and she only glared back with outrage. "I'm not just saying this because you are a User. You aren't ready to take Tesler on, not alone at least," he added.

She held back the urge to make some kind of retort. Tron did have a good point. Her shoulder wound was just another reminder of how vulnerable she really was. Maybe it was time she started getting stronger, and more durable. If she wanted to take on programs like Tesler alone, then this needed to happen.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

Mira rubbed her arm where the cut had opened a wound a few cycles ago. She was pleased to find out that it had healed quickly. A fresh scab was beginning to take over where the wound had been, leaving Mira a painful reminder of her fight with Tesler.

She would never admit that she was actually afraid after that fight. Battling Tesler had left her feeling shaken with dread. While her wound had healed, it was her pride that felt more hurt than anything else. She really wished she had been more prepared to fight a program like Tesler.

Luckily, seeing that her wound had healed gave Tron a chance to realize that maybe she was more durable than he thought. Now, she was standing beside Beck as Tron explained their latest mission. Apparently, they were to infiltrate Tesler's ship and mess with his vehicles with a device that looked like Bodhi's tool.

Mira wasn't entirely sure what the point of messing with the vehicles' code was. She suspected that it would frustrate Tesler that his soldiers wouldn't be able to get around the city faster. But, he could easily get the code fixed by taking the broken vehicles to Able's garage.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Beck asked after Tron turned around.

"It's a device that manipulates the codes of vehicles," Tron explained. Mira raised an eyebrow when he mentioned manipulating codes. "I want you to put that code into one of Tesler's tanks. Once one tank gets infected the rest will go with it."

She thought it was odd that Tron would send Beck to just mess with Tesler. Given the fact that Beck was a mechanic who worked at Able's garage, she had a feeling that was the first place Tesler would go to have his vehicles repaired.

"So, does this mean I get to go?" she asked, eager to see how this device worked.

She'd learned long ago that Users were capable of manipulating code throughout the Grid. If such a device could wreak havoc on the vehicles of Tesler's ship, she could only imagine what it would do to other equipment.

"Is your wound fully healed?" Tron's question made her wince; she hadn't thought of that until now.

Because of her wound, she hadn't been able to join Beck in the training sessions they usually took every cycle. Now, her wound was completely healed, but she wasn't sure whether or not that would be enough. Users healed differently from programs. Though she was more durable than Tron first thought, that didn't mean he wouldn't keep worrying that she pushed herself too far.

"Yes," she replied with a bit more confidence.

"Fine, you can go." Mira blinked in surprise when Tron said that. "Just stay with him and don't get caught."

 _No duh_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to be caught by Tesler or his goons. Paige might not be nearly as bad as Pavel, but that didn't mean she was any better. They both worked for Tesler and had proven that they were determined to bring down the renegades, no matter the cost.

Once they were both ready to leave, Mira followed Beck out of the safehouse. Getting out for the first time since her fight with Tesler would be a good thing. Despite everything that had happened over the last cycles, especially with the fight between Dyson and Tron, she was satisfied.

Storm clouds were gathering across the sky as they headed for Tesler's ship. Mira could feel a change in pressure as the temperature dropped. It was getting colder, and she restrained the urge to shiver. Users weren't meant to survive in the bitter cold. Programs were in the same vote when it came to living in the Outlands. It was dangerous and risky at best, with gridbugs and unstable weather striking them at any chance they had. Mira had learned the hard way that it was survival of the fittest.

Beck was quick to get through the ship. Mira followed him quickly as he made his way to the room where the tanks were kept. Guards were wandering around the ship, but none of them seemed to notice the renegade programs.

"I sure hope this works," Beck muttered when he jumped into the tank.

Mira stood near the entrance as she waited for him. She knew the guards were going to know there were intruders on the ship. Any nanocycle and they would be spotted and caught.

As if her thoughts had driven them to that spot, guards began appearing near the edge of the tank. Mira grabbed her disk and was about to throw it when Beck jumped out of the tank.

"This isn't my tank, sorry for the mix up." Mira rolled her eyes when Beck tried to remain calm as the soldiers began moving closer. She stood behind Beck, their backs together as one of the soldiers reached for their disk. "Now come on, we don't have to fight, we were just leaving," Beck tried to convince them.

"You wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, now would you?"

Mira froze when she heard Pavel's voice. Behind the crowd of guards was the Commander. He was smirking with disgust when he glared at the renegade programs.

"So much for a quiet exit," Mira muttered.

She knew there was a reason she hated Pavel so much. He was far worse than Paige when it came to the treatment of programs who were under his command. The worst part was, he relished over seeing programs suffer.

"How about a quiet death instead?" Pavel asked with a smirk.

The soldiers suddenly got into the tanks and aimed their canons at the intruders. Mira rezzed her light cycle, and before Beck could argue she whirled around, away from Pavel and the tanks. She didn't need to look back to see Beck following. Each twist and turn nearly resulted in a crash, but Mira managed to keep up as she avoided the tanks that were closing in on them.

Beck suddenly pulled on the breaks of his light cycle when the tanks had them cornered.

"Fire," Pavel ordered.

Mira braced herself for the pain that would follow. An explosion from a tank would lead to immediate deresolution. Pavel would ensure the Renegades' end, even if it meant blowing up Tesler's ship in the process.

But to her surprise the tank's canon suddenly became a jumbled mess of code. Pavel's grin faded when he realized that the device Tron had given Beck began to work.

"Huh, what do you know?" She could hear the smirk in Beck's voice as he whirled around towards the ship's entrance. Mira followed him, eager to get away before the soldiers and Pavel recovered. "I think we're finally getting the hang of this," he added when they were far enough away.

"Well, that was entertaining to watch," she said with a roll of her eyes as they headed back for the city. "So, you have any plans for the rest of this cycle?"

"I've gotta get back to work," Beck said after changing back to his normal suit. "You should go back too."

Mira was about to argue when she realized that Beck was right.

 _I can tell Tron that our mission was successful_ , she decided after watching Beck leave.

She sighed in frustration as she followed the path that led to the safehouse. There were no programs out, much to her surprise. A few were headed to different cities or jobs when she passed Argon Square. But aside from that it was relatively quiet.

She preferred it that way. It gave her time to think of what could be done in the following cycle. Or maybe get some training done. Or avoid Tron all together. One of those ideas, she would eventually choose. But for now, she needed to get back before the curfew ended.

Mira wasn't surprised to see Tron looking at the screen that overlooked the Outlands. Images sifted across the screen as he continued checking on the cities around the Grid.

"The mission was a success," she announced when Tron made no sign of noticing her arrival.

"Good, it should buy us some time with Able," he suddenly replied without turning around.

Mira rose an eyebrow in surprise when she saw a light blinking on and off at the corner of the screen.

So that explained why Tron had sent them out earlier. With his vehicles under maintenance, Tesler would likely have most of the garage occupied. Mira hoped that Beck knew what he was getting himself into, especially if Able put someone else in charge.

"Wait, you want me to go with you?" she asked warily.

Now, she knew that Tron and Able had some kind of past alliance. What that past was she didn't know yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she found out.

"Able knows that you are staying with me," Tron explained after the screen went blank. He finally turned to face her, but Mira avoided his gaze. "He wants to know that you're safe."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at that remark. Programs had never cared for her safety other than Quorra. The fact that Able knew who she was now only made her feel more on edge than usual. If Able had known she was a User, then how many other programs jumped to that assumption?

"When are we leaving?" she asked after an uncomfortable silence fell between them.

"Right now." Tron changed his suit to an all-black suit with white patches. "Able's chosen a… rather dangerous spot for us to meet. So you'll need to be prepared for anything."

That, she was more accustomed to. After living in the Outlands for a few hilocycles, she had learned how to survive on her own the hard way. The moment they stepped outside though, Mira wasn't prepared for the bitter cold wind that blasted against her face. She could already see that the storm was headed straight for the Outlands, right in the path they were about to take.

The two of them sped across the Outlands, avoiding the highway the marked half of the Grid. Mira had learned that it was what kept the cities connected. There were a few cities that were only accessible through a ship or boat. She had never seen those cities before though, and she doubted she ever would.

"Careful, there could be gridbugs out here," Tron suddenly warned her.

"You know, I've survived the Outlands before," she snapped over the howling wind.

Okay, maybe survived was a bit of a stretch. She struggled the first few cycles. Gridbugs had constantly caused trouble for her in the past before she knew how to fight them off. Then weather had become such a problem that she would often seek out shelter in a cave or just try to endure the bitingly cold winds that wreaked havoc on the Outlands.

Relief washed over Mira when she noticed that they had arrived at the spot without getting ambushed. Tron turned his light cycle back into a baton and looked across the barren landscape. Snow was whipping past them as a fierce wind picked up. Mira's eyes widened in surprise when she noticed a beacon shining in the distance.

She turned her own light cycle back into a baton and followed Tron as he led the way. He was careful not to make any noise, but the howling wind managed to snuff out the noise anyways. Mira stepped onto the snow as lightly as she could. She was amazed at how stealthy Tron could be.

What lay before them was a strange looking tent that flapped in the wind. Mira had to blink several times as the cover of snow surrounded her. Able was leaning against a strange device as he observed the beacon carefully. Tron remained silent as ever as he waited for Able to finish his work.

Able suddenly looked up when Mira leaned against the snow. She held her breath while Tron gave her a look that said 'just keep quiet'. Able reached for his disk and whirled around to face an invisible opponent. Mira forced back a giggle when she saw his expression change to relief. Tron had wandered around until he was behind Able, and Mira smirked when Able turned, only to gasp in shock when he realized he wasn't alone.

"Hello Able," Tron said in a casual voice.

Tron unveiled his mask and stared at Able calmly as the old program glanced over his shoulder. Holding back another grin, Mira noticed that Able rolled his eyes after putting his disk back. He crossed his arms and glared.

"So, this is where you disappeared to with Beck," Able sighed once he'd recovered from the shock.

"It wasn't like I had another choice," she replied with a shrug.

Well, it was partly true. She could have easily turned her back on Tron if given the chance. But that would have only ended in disaster. All of the cities on the Grid were now occupied by Clu's generals. It was only a matter of time before one of them caught her and sent her back to Clu himself.

"Here, for your healing chamber. It should buy you some time." Able tossed Tron a strange object that contained energy once they got inside the tent.

"Tell me why you really called me here," Tron suddenly snapped.

Mira leaned against the tent as she listened to them talk like they were old friends. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering how long Able and Tron had known each other. The fact that Able was willing to offer help on the healing chamber told her they went way back.

 _It would've been nice if we'd known about this alliance sooner_ , she nearly rolled her eyes. Though, it made sense that Tron had allies remaining throughout the Grid. The few programs who knew he was still alive weren't going to slip out anytime soon, especially with the Grid so heavily guarded by Clu and his soldiers.

"I want you to stop," Able replied. "I know what he's up to, and I want it to stop. What's your grand scheme, if there is any?"

She blinked in surprise at Able's question. As much as she hated to admit it, she did find herself wondering what Tron planned to do if they ever came across Clu. She desperately wanted her own taste at revenge with the tyrant. Yet, Mira was fully aware that she wouldn't survive one nanocycle against him. At least not without some kind of backup.

"Beck needs to know what he's fighting for."

"If you don't stop than I can't help you any longer." Able's threat made Mira shift uncomfortably. "We both know how this ends."

"The future of the Grid is my concern."

Tron sounded more annoyed than angry as he avoided Able's gaze, just like Mira had avoided his. She smirked a little when she realized that was one thing she had in common. Tron didn't want to admit that he was putting Beck's life in danger, or hers.

"Beck's safety is my concern, and believe it or not, a User is also my concern," Able pointed out.

Mira eyed him curiously when he glared at Tron. The moment he said that was when Mira began wondering if Able had known Flynn. There was a high possibility that he could have, given how he knew Tron and easily figured out what she was.

"You know, I for one am more than capable of taking care of myself," she pointed out without missing a beat. She was annoyed with the fact that Able and Tron had been ignoring her presence. Though, the look Able threw her told Mira that he had been keeping an eye on her the whole time. "I'm tired of programs just assuming that I'm completely helpless."

Able seemed to contemplate what she meant by that. She knew that she had suffered worse blows than what he or Tron saw during their time together. And it was high time they realized she wouldn't let them keep holding her back.

"I'm beginning to understand that," Able grumbled after deciding it was better not to argue with her. "But I can't keep helping you like this, not if you continue training Beck."

"You can't, or you won't?"

"I won't watch Beck become another one of your mistakes."

This time, Tron flinched, and Mira raised an eyebrow as one of the tent's edges came out. What did Able mean by mistakes? She frowned and looked between the two older programs. It was obvious from the haunted look flashing across Tron's eyes that it was more serious than Able made it out to be.

"I don't have another choice."

Mira was about to cut in when she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

Able saw it too and reached for his disk, and by instinct Tron reached for his.

"Not you, dummy, them!" Able pointed to the gridbugs that were pouring into the tent.

Mira's eyes widened in panic when Tron knocked a few aside, but there was too many crawling in at once. It didn't take long for the gridbugs to overwhelm them. Her heart began racing with dread as she realized the danger they were in. Gridbugs were dangerous not only for carrying viruses, but for tearing programs apart if they were given the chance. And she didn't want to imagine what they would do to a User if they caught her.

"There's too many of them!" she exclaimed.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Tron asked when he stood back-to-back with Able.

Mira glanced at them warily when Tron grabbed his baton. She reached for hers when Able held up a bomb.

"Let's just get this over with," Able grumbled after activating it.

Mira rezzed her light cycle just as Tron rezzed his. Before the bomb went off they sped out of the tent, leaving behind the gridbugs. Relief swept through Mira once they managed to follow a trail that led far away from the tent and the gridbugs.

"Next time we meet, _I_ choose the location," Tron snapped.

Able rolled his eyes when they managed to out speed the storm. By now the winds had died down when they reached the edge of the city. Tron turned his light cycle back into a baton as Able got off and glared.

"Look, I know it's difficult to accept, but Beck makes a good Renegade when you think about it," Mira managed to say after an icy silence fell between them. "I know as much as I can fight back, I wouldn't be able to do this on my own without his help."

And that much was true. She had seen the way Beck changed after becoming the renegade. He wasn't the same program she had first met at the garage all those cycles ago. Though she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The older program eyed her thoughtfully for a few nanocycles. Mira shifted in her light cycle uncomfortably as she held his gaze. She hoped that Able would at least see things her way. As much as she hated to admit it, neither she nor Tron would be able to finish what they started without Beck's help. He'd proven himself more times than she could count over the last few cycles, and he had been improving since then.

"Alright, I can see that arguing isn't going to get us anywhere, and I know Beck is just going to go behind my back. If you promise to keep them both safe, then I will continue supporting your cause."

Mira blinked in surprise when Able mentioned the both of them being kept safe. However much she wanted to deny it, programs actually _were_ looking after her. It was hard to imagine what would have changed their minds over the cycles.

Tron looked equally surprised before accepting his proposal. Mira let out a sigh of relief that she didn't realize she was holding. Any tension between the two seemed to fade once she intervened, and that made things easier on everyone.

And what Able said made sense. He was like a guardian to Beck and his friends. All he wanted was to keep them safe from the Occupation and from getting derezzed. Even if that meant putting his own life at risk.

* * *

 **AN: Happy Tron Tuesday everyone! So, I have to admit, I've already started rewriting Goodbye Ordinary... and I have a feeling that the rating may change from T to M for multiple reasons. I really sugarcoated what Mira experienced, and I'd like to go back into full detail on all of that and her recovery from that experience. So, yeah :P**


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

"Alright, I can see that arguing isn't going to get us anywhere, and I know Beck is just going to go behind my back. If you promise to keep them both safe, then I will continue supporting your cause."

Able's words still haunted Mira to that cycle as she stared at the ceiling. She wondered what her life would have been like had she stayed in the Real World. Would she have gone through high school and graduated by now? Would her foster parents be proud of what she had turned into, or what she was doing? Did they even remember her?

Since they had been foster parents, she doubted they would have kept her long enough to find out. While she didn't know much about how the foster system worked, she'd been in them long enough to know that she would have been shipped off from one home to another.

Despite some of them memories she managed to retain, it had been a long time since she thought of her former life. The first few cycles on the Grid had been the most difficult. After realizing she might never see her old life or even where she once lived again, Mira was desperate to get back to the Real World. But the Betrayal and Flynn's disappearance had ruined any chance in getting back.

Letting out a sigh, Mira sat up and decided to see what they would be doing this cycle. Since Able was all too aware of what she and Beck were up to, she doubted it would be much. If Tron wanted him to continue helping them, he would have to oblige to his word.

Speaking of Tron, she saw him standing in front of the panel that overlooked the Outlands and Argon City. Mira rose an eyebrow when she saw images of Purgos appearing on the screen. It looked as if someone was trying to hide something, something big.

"So what's that for?" she asked as she saw an alarming amount of images on the screen.

A few of them were images of a large structure that was clouded by pixels. Whatever they were hiding, it couldn't be anything good. There were few programs who had the capabilities of hiding from Tron's watchful eyes. She was one of the lucky few who managed to avoid being detected by the security monitor.

"Someone is hiding something," he explained without looking at her.

Mira's eyes widened when she saw a few programs gathered around the strange structure. Many of them were mechanics or medics. A few were scientists that looked like they had seen better days. Mira wondered what sort of job could lead to such a depressive state.

"I'm guessing that we're going to take a look at it," she said after folding her arms.

"Beck's late," Tron muttered.

She rolled her eyes at that remark. If he was late, then it had to be for a good reason. Mira suspected it had something to do with Able, but she dared not say it out loud. But that wasn't what had made her worry. It was the fact that as a security program, Tron had protocols that could override such instances. Someone was blocking those protocols, and he wasn't happy with that.

"We're going out."

His sudden words caught Mira off guard. She simply shrugged in response and followed him as the panel went dark.

 _Someone's in a hurry_ , she thought as Tron led the way to Argon City. She already knew where he was headed and didn't bother asking. Tron was already on edge. If she played the cards right, she would find out soon enough what was really going on.

She put on her own disguise while Tron placed on his black suit with few white circuits. He really did look intimidating with that suit on. It was no wonder Mira thought he worked for the black guard when they first met.

Able's garage loomed into view after a few nanocycles passed. Mira was surprised by the lack of guards or soldiers posted around the city's edge. She guessed that they were further in the city making sure programs weren't breaking curfew.

She quickly spotted Able talking to the program that had turned another in as a false Renegade. Unease swept through her as she tried to recall who that mechanic was. His nervous and jumpy posture told her that he was a flight-risk. She couldn't help but watch warily as she wondered how this was the same program who managed to convince Tesler that someone had been the Renegade in disguise.

 _I'm sure that jerk of a Commander Pavel has his ways_ , she thought after nearly rolling her eyes.

Tron had already gone ahead into Able's office. She finally rolled her eyes and remembered just how well he could sneak up on an opponent. Beck had learned a bit of that stealth, but Tron was the best. She'd quickly learned the hard way that many programs enjoyed using fear as a tactic rather than hand-to-hand combat, and Tron was one of those programs. Though he only used fear as a last resort from what she gathered.

She followed him before Able had a chance to notice her arrival. The door swung open just as she stood nearby.

Able barely took two steps when he realized that he wasn't alone. He let out a gasp of shock when Tron's mask receded.

"Tron, shouldn't you be in that healing chamber of yours?" Able demanded.

He glanced at Mira, who simply shrugged in response. She wasn't in any hurry to explain why Tron was in such a hurry to put Beck through another mission. His irritation had already gotten under her skin as it was without making it worse.

"I'm looking for Beck."

"He's not here right now." Mira sighed as she leaned against the desk. It sounded like this was going to be a fun conversation. "But I'll tell him you're looking for him."

"There's something going on in Purgos that's encrypted, and I want Beck to investigate with Mira," Tron explained as he reached for his disk.

Mira rose an eyebrow in surprise when he included her. It still took some getting used to the fact that he was letting her go on these missions more often. Just a few cycles ago, Tron had been reluctant to let her go after he found out that she was a User. Though he promised he wouldn't be taking it easy on her because of what she was, that didn't mean he remained true to his word.

"You just won't leave this alone, can you?" Able demanded. "Who's that?"

Able's eyes widened when an image of Dyson showed up on Tron's disk.

"Dyson? He's a soldier you better hope you never have to meet," Tron replied. "Just make sure the message gets passed on."

Mira shuddered at the mention of Dyson. All he had done was cause trouble from the start. It was his fault Tron was heavily scarred and couldn't fight the revolution on his own. It was his fault that the Betrayal had happened in the first place.

"Wait, you're not setting them up against this Dyson character are you?"

Able sounded more concerned than anything else. Mira held back a sigh of frustration when she realized he thought she couldn't handle herself in these fights. Though after her fight with Tesler, she couldn't really blame him for that.

"This doesn't concern you," Tron muttered.

"Beck's safety is my concern, and so is Mira's." Able folded his arms and glared at Tron. "So I'll go instead."

"You can't be serious?" Mira asked warily.

She wondered just how skilled Able was at defending himself. But as Able turned to look at her, she saw determination in his eyes. The same determination she often saw in Beck's eyes. Now she knew where Beck got it from. He might not have shown it often, but the old program actually seemed to not only have a sense of humor, but fighting skills as well.

"I'll have you know I was quite the pro at disk games back in the days," he retorted with a smirk of amusement. He glanced at Tron after Mira rose an eyebrow in surprise, "You're running out of time," he added more seriously.

"I'm running out of patience," Tron grumbled.

Mira restrained the urge to laugh when Tron said that. His mask returned as he walked out of the garage, with Able following him. Mira followed them soon after thinking of what Able could possibly do on a mission. True he was a mechanic, and a good enough one to run a garage. But she didn't know much else about him.

"So what am I supposed to do?" she asked when they made their way back to the safehouse.

She half expected Tron to just say keep out of the way. After all, she was likely to get hurt or captured during such a mission. At least that was how Able saw the whole thing. She couldn't blame him for worrying, but she had survived this long for a reason. She certainly wasn't going to allow the fact that Dyson was in charge of whatever was happening in Purgos put her down. Especially when she knew she had a bone or two to pick with him.

"You'll be staying with me until the timing is right," Tron snapped. "Able's right, you can't do this without Beck. Dyson is too dangerous for one _User_ to take on."

It took everything she had not to argue with Tron at that moment. She was annoyed enough with the fact that he didn't think she was capable of handling a fight against Dyson. But the fact that he always seemed to point out how flawed she was as a User left her feeling even more irritated than usual.

 _Just because I'm a User doesn't mean I can't take a few hits_ , she wanted to spit at him.

Tron was fully aware of what she was capable of. He'd seen how much progress she made during their training regimes at the safehouse. Even so, he was reluctant to let her go on this mission. And judging from the look he threw her, he wasn't in the mood to deal with her temper either.

It didn't take Able long to reach the Outlands. Tron refused to let him near the safehouse, and Mira couldn't blame him for his wariness. Even if he could trust Able, a program might catch him and see his identity disk. Able crossed his arms over his chest when he saw that Tron was waiting for him on the track he used for light cycle training.

"So I'm going in disguise to find out what's going on," Able said as they went over the plans. "Once I find out what Dyson's up to, then what?"

"If my hunch is right, we'll be seeing you within a few pectrocycles," Tron replied.

Able nodded and looked down at the map Tron had given him. Mira raised an eyebrow as she studied the blinking light. She hoped that Dyson wasn't leading them into a trap of some kind. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

 _Dyson would know that we're watching his every move_ , she thought. Especially since he knew that Tron was alive.

Once Able was gone she was left alone to fiddle around with what ever was available. Tron would leave soon for Purgos, and she wasn't going to let him leave alone. Besides, three was better than one, and Tron couldn't argue against that.

She closed her eyes and thought back to a time when she was once in the Real World. Again, memories of her foster parents were vague. She tried to picture their faces and warm smiles. But every time she did, they disappeared just like that.

The guilt from earlier suddenly came rushing back. Memories of the Real World had slipped away long after the Betrayal. When she was captured by Clu, those memories were what kept her sane. She knew now that she would never see her foster parents again, or the Real World for that matter.

Mira was shaken from her thoughts when Tron tapped her shoulder. The mask covered his face once more as he rezzed his light cycle. Mira sighed in annoyance as she followed suit. Just when she was beginning to remember _something_ from her past as a User, it was forgotten.

Tron wasted no time in reaching Purgos, avoiding shops and streets that were likely guarded by gangs. A shiver of unease swept through Mira as she remembered the last gang she had encountered. That fight had ended very badly, and she didn't think she or Beck would have made it if Lux hadn't stopped them. Ironically enough, Lux had been part of that gang, but she had changed at the last nanocycle. The moment she found out that Tron was alive, and that Mira was a User, she deflected from Kobol and the gang. Her sacrifice had given them enough time to escape the guards before they could reach the platform, and Mira hadn't forgotten what the siren did for them.

 _Someone like her deserves to be remembered for what she did, even if she caused a lot of problems in the beginning_ , she told herself.

It didn't take them long to reach the spot where Able was working. Mira wasn't surprised to see soldiers and guards wandering around the streets. They were keeping an eye on the entrance, and trucks sped past to get in. Mira's eyes narrowed when she saw programs hiding in the trucks.

"Looks like you were right," she whispered. "So how do we get in there?"

"Easy enough."

She could hear the grin in Tron's voice as he reached for a grenade. It was clear that he actually enjoyed being out on the field for a change. And for the first time, Mira suddenly found herself glancing at him self-consciously. She wondered how much he missed being able to fight back the way he used to.

 _Let them all know we're here_ , she thought after realizing what he was planning. But Tron knew what he was getting himself into.

They managed to slip past the guards and soldiers before they were spotted. Mira wondered just how big the structure they were looking for was. For all she knew it could have been a tiny device like the decoder Tron had given Beck.

Tron placed the grenade on the wall of the building the trucks had stopped in front of. Mira hung back and held her breath as an explosion shook the ground.

She was surprised to see that soldiers had surrounded Able as Dyson stood in front of him, mouth agape with shock. Mira followed Tron as he managed to pass the guards by flipping over them. Mira smirked when her boot kicked one of the guards in the mask.

"What took you so long?" Able demanded as he threw off a soldier.

"Able, behind you!" Mira's eyes widened when a soldier ran towards Able.

The soldiers were closing in on them, and Dyson threw a panicked glance towards Mira and Tron.

"Protect the device!" he shouted before running off.

Mira threw a fist into the chest of one soldier while swinging her leg into another. She grabbed her light sword and slammed it against a soldier that tried grabbing her from behind.

"Do you have any idea what we're even looking for?" Able asked when he stood beside Tron.

"I'll know it when I see it," Tron snapped. By now, most of the soldiers were either running or unconscious. "This is usually why I bring Beck."

Mira just scowled in annoyance at that. Of course he would refuse to admit that he had taken her on so many missions alongside Beck. Before Able could say anything, else the floor beneath them began to tremble. Mira's eyes widened when a ship suddenly flew into the air.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw that it was a large Recognizer. One of the biggest ships she had ever seen, a new toy for Clu.

"Found it," she said after catching her breath.

"You know what this means?" Able asked. Tron's mask had receded after he gazed at the recognizer that flew away from the building. "I was wrong, as much as I hate to say it, you're gonna need Beck."

"No, I need all of your help," Tron muttered with a shake of his head.

Mira sighed in relief when she realized that it was over. What ever Clu had constructed, she knew it couldn't be any good. Just about everything else he designed wound up leading to someone's doom. What bothered her was that none of the programs in Purgos seemed alarmed by the massive ship that flew past their city.

It didn't take them long to return to Argon after that. Mira was just glad to get away from Purgos. It brought nothing but bad memories for her – memories she'd rather leave behind.

"We'll keep in touch," Tron promised after Able got off his light cycle.

"I'm sure you will," he muttered with a roll of her eyes. "You stay out of trouble," he added to Mira, who laughed in return.

"Like that's gonna happen," she said playfully.

Able smirked before wandering back into the garage. She heard him mutter something like, 'smart alack'.

Mira couldn't help but grin sheepishly once he was gone. Maybe Able wasn't as bad as she first thought. That would explain why Beck trusted him so much. But even with that small sense of trust, Mira found herself feeling uneasy.

So much had happened over the last few cycles that made her realize life could work in mysterious ways. As they returned to the safehouse, Mira wondered what that huge Recognizer would be used for. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this would lead to nothing good. Clu was definitely up to something big, and that Recognizer was just the beginning.

She remembered what Castor had said about Users when they first met. Users were capable of modifying code on the Grid without administrative access. At the time, Mira hadn't thought much of it. But the more she thought of it, the more she realized such information would be useful.

 _Maybe it's time I started learning how to work with code_ , she thought.

Mira blinked in surprise when she saw the door swing open. Beck had returned, but his expression was difficult to read as he walked in.

"Where have you been?" Tron asked as he looked at the screen.

The images of the large recognizer had disappeared as soon as the door opened. Mira frowned at that. She would have thought that Tron of all programs would want Beck to know what they had been up to since his departure. Then again, what had happened was still a mystery to them. They had little to no idea what the recognizer was being used for, or why it had been developed in the first place.

"It was my fault, I tried to outrun a storm," Beck replied. "I got a little lost… almost for good."

Mira rose an eyebrow when he added the last part. He was hiding something the moment he spoke. She could see it written across his face when he looked down at the floor guiltily.

"I'm glad you're back."

Mira tilted her head to one side when Beck walked past the screen. His expression was impossible to read, and it looked as if he'd been through something other than getting lost in traffic. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she began wondering what that something was.

"I always find my way back; I guess that's why you chose me as your successor."

"One of many reasons, yes."

Tron sounded more confused than ever as Beck glanced at Mira, who simply shrugged. She had no idea what Beck had in mind with that conversation. Or why he was acting as if he'd faced his last mission. Whatever the reason for his odd behavior, she had a feeling she would find out sooner or later.

"Right."

Her eyes widened when he rubbed his wrist. A code could be made out, one that sent chills down her back.

She had seen that code a few times during her travels. Programs that sustained those codes were usually found dead cycles later, or half crazy. Either way, the end results would end up getting Beck derezzed if he didn't get the code checked out by a medic.

"Where did _that_ come from?" she demanded in a whisper.

Beck stiffened as if he had forgotten that she was there.

"Later," he muttered in a 'Tron shouldn't hear this' tone.

She nearly snapped at him when she realized what he was implying. Then she glanced at Tron, not missing the odd look he was giving both of them. She realized with a start that Beck might have had a valid point. This was a conversation they would have later, whether he wanted to have it or not.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

She had fun fumbling around with the bits and pieces of code she had found. Tron was in the healing chamber while Beck went off to work, giving Mira time to figure out whether it was possible to create an artificial life form on the Grid. So far she had managed to modify the codes on her disk in a way that would be impossible to track, from a security program's perspective. She grinned at the thought – Tron wouldn't be able to track her down if she decided to leave.

The code wasn't complex. It was just enough to create a screen that she could touch. And when she touched the screen, she was surprised to see various shapes and sizes appear. She doubted Tron was keen on the idea of having some pet running around the safehouse, but it couldn't hurt to try.

Mira grinned when she used her finger to draw a line across the screen. The screen suddenly disappeared after she finished working with the code. Mira's eyes widened when a butterfly began fluttering around the room, flapping vibrant neon green, blue and yellow wings.

"Where did that come from?"

She nearly leaped out of her suit when she heard Beck's voice coming from behind. She whirled around to see that he was standing near the stairs, grinning like an idiot.

"Does Tron know you're here?" she muttered crossly.

The butterfly had disappeared, much to her disappointment. It had been about the only vibrant object in the room. She had gotten used to the lack of vibrant colors throughout the Grid over the xilacycles that were spent there. The butterfly had been a nice change in pace, and she suddenly found herself wondering whether there was more she could create in place of it. The idea of free code and creating new objects was both exhilarating and mind-boggling.

 _Imagine if Clu ever found out what I could do_ , she thought.

"He just stepped out of the healing chamber," Beck replied when she stood up.

"I was trying to figure out how modifying codes works," she explained after Beck asked what she was doing. "When I was with Castor, he told me that Users are capable of modifying the Grid to their liking… though I don't think I'd enjoy doing that." She looked at Beck warily after noticing that he was rubbing his wrist. "You never did tell me what happened in Gallium," she added in an accusing tone.

"I ran into an old friend of Tron's," he informed her, glaring out the window as he spoke. "It turns out this old friend was bent on destroying the Grid, using the both of us as bombs."

Her eyes widened in shock at that revelation. Mira had never thought of Tron taking on another apprentice, especially one who sounded like a sociopath. She thought back to what Tron had said about not wanting to call Beck a friend. Maybe this was one of the reasons.

"Come on, let's go see what he wants," she sighed after hearing an alarm sound.

Lately, it was programs using free code around Argon City that had been giving Tesler a run for his money. Mira could almost imagine the look on his face when he saw graffiti written on the walls. Clearly these programs were better at what they did then he realized. It also made him angry. She'd learned from experience that dealing with an angry Tesler was never the best option, especially with innocent programs involved.

"Looks like our fan club strikes again," she said when she saw the 'Tron Lives' symbol on the screen.

"You mean _my_ fan club," Tron snapped.

"Hey, you made a joke!" Beck grinned when Tron glanced at him.

Mira simply tilted her head to one side as she studied the codes.

The style was vibrant, bright, and obvious. Whoever had done this knew how to get Tesler's attention. Mira suddenly wished that she had thought of doing this cycles ago. She smirked as she imagined the look of disbelief on Clu's face when he saw those images. He wasn't going to be happy when he found out that someone had violated his name with free code. And neither was Tesler. The general was likely going to step up security now that the vigilantes struck multiple times and in multiple parts of the city.

"Have you found anything out about these programs?" Tron asked as he went on looking at the images.

Tron had sent Beck on solo missions to find out more information on the mysterious programs for the last couple of cycles. Though Mira was annoyed that he had chosen just Beck to go, she couldn't blame him. If more than one program was sent to spy on them, the ones that caused the symbols would get suspicious.

Until they knew that these programs weren't a threat, it was better to keep sending one individual after them.

"There's nothing about them. The soldiers don't even realize that there's more than one of them," Beck replied.

He exchanged a look with Mira, and she already knew where this was headed.

"So, when do we bring them in?" she asked.

Having some kind of backup, especially with programs who seemed to know what they were doing, would come in handy during the revolution. Mira suspected these programs could be more than useful in the long-run.

"We don't." Tron's reply was cold as ice.

"But this is what we've been waiting for, they could be new recruits."

Beck was trying to sound calm, but Mira could tell that he was just as eager as she was to find out who these programs were. And if they were willing to fight in the uprising.

"There's more to the uprising than acts of vandalism," Tron snapped.

"Yeah, but we didn't know that when you found us," Mira reminded him. Tron gave her an odd look, and she merely rolled her eyes and looked back defiantly. "Look, these programs won't even know they're committing acts of vandalism unless someone tells them. Maybe it's best we step in and show them how to uphold the uprising, just this once."

"As long as I'm wearing the suit I should have a say in this," Beck added.

He hadn't missed the tension between Mira and Tron. Seeing her stand up against the security program only added to the sudden tension sparking between them, but it also gave him a sense of determination. When it came to getting their way, it didn't happen too often unless they worked together.

"These programs need to know what they're fighting for." Tron crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the two friends.

Beck stood resolutely beside Mira while she rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, we'll let them know," Mira announced with a firm nod.

Tron ignored them and wandered away from the screen, clearly annoyed with their final decision. Mira was more relieved than anything else. Finally, they stood up to Tron, and maybe now there would be more programs to fight in the uprising.

She followed Beck out of the safehouse, eager to get away from it all. There was still so much on her mind, like the strange code on Beck's wrist, and the large ship that Clu and Dyson had built. And she couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with Tron revealing that he was alive to Dyson.

"So this old friend of Tron's… did he happen to know who I am?" she suddenly asked warily.

She realized that if the program had read Beck's identity disk, they were all in trouble. He'd mentioned that the program in question said they read his disk's contents, so she wouldn't be surprised if he had been telling the truth. The thought sent a shiver through her when she also realized he would know of her existence. Though Tron himself wasn't able to pinpoint her when they first met. She couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that this program would be out for more than just a friendly reunion if he decided to strike back.

"He didn't mention anything of it," Beck replied, looking a bit shaken at the realization that he might know. "Though something tells me that even if he did, he wouldn't make use of that information."

Mira bit the bottom of her lip as doubt clouded her mind. She knew that she could trust Beck, but other programs, she wasn't so sure of. Mara and Zed had seemed friendly enough at the garage… yet she had a feeling they would change their minds in a nanocycle if they knew she was a User. Zed especially. He wasn't particularly fond of the renegades to begin with.

"Were you able to see what he looked like?" she couldn't help but ask.

"He had white lines on his face, and the 'T' symbol on his arms instead of his chest," he replied.

 _Cyrus_! Mira restrained a gasp as she recalled the program she had seen in Bismuth. Before it had been claimed by the Occupation she lived in Bismuth for a short while. She remembered seeing a program with a similar appearance. He had been wearing a cape at the time, and it had looked as though he was on the run from something, or _someone_. At the time she hadn't thought much of him. She was only just recovering from her own traumatic experience in the games.

They went on in silence as Beck led the way to Argon Square. The Square was where the programs struck most often, so it seemed like an obvious spot to find them.

Programs were wandering throughout the streets and buildings as they went to their usual jobs. More guards had been placed around the streets in order to keep an eye on suspicious programs.

Mira blinked in surprise when a female program suddenly ran over to a group lingering outside a building.

"There's a bomb inside one of the trains!" she exclaimed after catching her breath.

Mira exchanged a look with Beck before following him towards the station. Well, this just kept getting better and better. These programs should have known better than to set a bomb in public space, especially one that was heavily guarded.

She already had a feeling the bomb was connected with the programs that had left the messages all around the city.

"If we're going to catch these programs than we need to do it right," Beck muttered as he suddenly reached his disk.

Mira rose an eyebrow when he changed his suit to the one Tron had used when they first met. It was the suit that Rinzler used – the mark of a black guard. With a sigh of frustration, she realized that she would have to do the same.

She reached for her disk and fumbled around with the code until she found what she was looking for. A black suit with four white circuits, the one Tron used as his disguise now. Once she placed her disk on her back, her suit was ready for interrogation.

Beck led the way into an alley where Mira heard the sound of footsteps running. She peered around the corner to see that there were three programs on the run.

"I wish I could've seen their faces!" one of the programs exclaimed.

"Next time, let's stick around longer," another program huffed as he tried to catch his breath.

"That's how we get caught." Mira stiffened when the third program spoke up. They were disguising their voice, making it sound more masculine. "If we stick to my plan we can keep this up."

The three programs skidded to a halt when Beck suddenly stepped out of the alley. Mira smirked when the smaller of the three gasped in shock.

"Run!"

Beck threw out a gravity grenade before they got very far. Mira watched in amusement as the programs floated in a bubble. She remembered Tron showing them how it worked. It kept the enemy program from running away.

"So now what?" she whispered as the three programs began to panic.

"We get them to that abandoned warehouse," Beck replied.

Mira wondered how they were going to do that. To her surprise Beck managed to lift the bubble without much problem. She wondered how light it was as he led the way towards the building he had mentioned.

The programs were shouting insults along the way. Mira noticed how the smaller of the three programs had calmed down slightly. She tilted her head to one side as she noticed the strange lines on their masks. The lines made it look as though the programs were grinning.

Beck dropped the bubble in the middle of the abandoned building. Mira stood back while he observed the three programs. Their faces were hidden by masks, but she could sense panic rising between them. They thought this was the end of line.

"Did you really think you could get away with what you did?" Beck demanded.

He was disguising his voice as well, using a deeper, more commanding voice. Mira had to admit, she was surprised with how intimidating he sounded when he put some effort to it. She crossed her arms and looked at the three programs thoughtfully as she wondered what was going on through their minds at the moment.

"We didn't do anything," the smaller program replied.

"Just for the record, I don't have any idea what these programs did," the taller program tried explaining.

Mira suddenly stepped forward and turned the program around. She grabbed his disk and handed it to Beck. Beck gave her a look before picking at the latest memories the program had viewed. Sure enough, images of the three programs causing chaos throughout the city appeared. Mira resisted a triumphant smirk as she tossed him the disk once they were finished looking.

"Oh, that…" The program sounded embarrassed while his companions rubbed their necks sheepishly.

"We didn't do anything; it's called free code."

The shorter program spoke with a strange accent, but to Mira's defense she didn't know if programs spoke in different accents. She gazed at him and noticed the strange device on his hand.

"Do you really believe that Tron is alive?" Beck asked after an uncomfortable silence fell between them.

"I let my work speak for itself," the shorter program replied.

The other two nodded in response. Mira hated to admit it, but these programs were foolishly brave. If they had been working for Tesler or Clu, they would have been derezzed before they were given a chance to explain themselves.

Beck suddenly reached for his disk, and the three programs began to panic once more as he swung it in front of them. Mira almost laughed as she watched them struggle in their confinement. Beck placed his disk on his back once more, and the black suit was replaced by his alter ego.

The three programs stopped struggling when they realized who it was standing in front of them. Mira changed her appearance back to the suit she normally used. Once that was finished the programs were released from the gravity bubble. They landed on their feet and stared at the two renegades.

"Tron, it really is you," the shorter program gasped.

"Wait, so does this mean you're not gonna derezz us?" the taller program asked.

"Of course not, he's Tron!" the smaller program snapped. "He's here to help us, right?"

Mira almost laughed when the smaller program didn't even bother mentioning her part in the uprising. Though a small part of her was annoyed that they didn't acknowledge her presence, she understood the excitement in their voice. Finding out that their hero had taken them rather than derezzed them was probably a huge shock for anyone involved.

"That's right, but I'm here because I _need_ help," Beck replied. "The Renegade and I are fighting in a revolution, and we need more recruits." Mira raised an eyebrow as he looked at the three programs with what she guessed was hope. "So, are you in?"

"Absolutely," the smaller program replied almost instantly.

"Of course," the other two shrugged as though it didn't matter.

"That was almost too easy," Mira said under her breath.

She crossed her arms once more and studied each program warily. Were they really prepared to put their lives in danger? She had a feeling that maybe they were in over their heads. Beck was willing to trust in them though, and she needed to show as much confidence.

"If you're going to join the uprising than I need to trust you," Beck suddenly said.

The three programs exchanged wary looks. Finally, the smaller one shrugged as the first two unveiled their masks.

"The name's Moog," the taller program explained with a grin. "And this is Rasket."

"It's Rasque," the shorter program muttered.

"Whatever," Moog said with a roll of his eyes. "And the heart and soul of the Jolly Tricksters, our leader."

He grinned as the smaller program unveiled their mask.

Mira's eyes widened when she saw a familiar pair of greenish blue eyes looking back at them.

"My name's Mara," she breathed. "Hi, again."

She tried to hide her embarrassment as she glanced at Beck and Mira.

"Wait, you three know each other?" Moog demanded.

"No—" Beck was cut off by Mara's calm but determined stare.

"Tron and the renegade saved my life, more than once," she explained sheepishly. "I wanted to thank you, and this was my way of doing so."

Beck sighed as Rasket glanced between him and Mara. Mira leaned against the wall as she waited for something to happen. Things would have gone a lot more smoothly if the program leading this ragtag group wasn't Mara. She realized with a start that she was hardly surprised Mara chose to band together with a couple of rogue programs. She seemed like the type of program who would try and fight against the Occupation.

"So now what?" Moog asked.

"Get some rest," Beck replied. "Meet me here at the next cycle, and I'll have something planned." He glanced at Mira, who stood up and looked back at Moog and Rasket.

They didn't seem like programs that could fight back against Clu. But they were the ones behind the messages left in the city. Mara was their ringleader, and if she could lead them to do such things, there was no telling what else she was capable of.

"Alright, let's bounce," Moog muttered.

Mira rezzed her light cycle as soon as they were far enough away from the warehouse. It seemed strange to be cruising along the road as Beck moved in beside her.

"How in the Users did this happen?" she asked warily.

"Mara's always been more rebellious than Zed," Beck explained after sighing in annoyance. "I never expected her to actually pull something like this off though."

"She's a good friend."

She thought back to how friendly Mara had been when they first met. It just didn't seem real that Mara was now part of the revolution, but in the end it did make sense. There was no telling what sort of trouble Mara would get herself into if Able knew what she was doing. She figured it was bad enough one of his mechanics was constantly disappearing right before work started.

Beck gave her an odd look before speeding towards the Outlands. Mira rolled her eyes and followed him. This wasn't going to be an easy alliance. Mara was one of Beck's good friends, and now she was fighting in the revolution. He worried for his friends' safety, and understandably so.

 _Please keep Mara safe_ , she silently begged.

…

They walked into the safehouse just in time to see Tron running on a treadmill. Mira crossed her arms when she realized that he was upside down. The sight was something that would have normally made her laugh, but Tron took things way too seriously.

"Remember when you first approached me? How did you know I was the right choice?" Beck sounded skeptical as he looked down at the floor. Mira knew that he was worried about Mara, and rightfully so. "You said I wasn't afraid."

Mira thought back to the way Tron had treated her when they first met. It was all a game of trust. The first encounter had led to him tasing her on the spot. Not being able to see her on Beck's disk told her that might have been part of the reason behind his rash decision. The second encounter was all too familiar when he had threatened to derezz her.

 _Of course, he didn't know I was a User at the time_ , she reminded herself. Maybe things would have turned out differently if he had known.

"I didn't, but you kept coming back."

Mira rolled her eyes and wondered how true that really was. Tron had encouraged Beck into training. And she couldn't help but wonder if _she_ was also part of the reason he kept coming back. As selfish as it sounded, she wanted to believe that he kept coming back to make sure Tron didn't do anything rash with her.

"Was I your first choice?"

Mira rose an eyebrow when Tron slowed down. Beck was risking his secret encounter with the rogue program by asking these questions. Was he even aware that Cyrus was on the loose?

"Why do you ask?" Tron had stopped running by now, and the treadmill he was running on had returned to the floor.

"Just curious." Beck shrugged and glanced at Mira, who simply looked away.

She didn't know what to say – she didn't meet the program Beck had met. Truthfully, she was happy that she didn't get the chance to meet Cyrus. If he was as crazy as the rumors suggested, it was better that they never meet in person.

"You forget; you were already fighting against the occupation. I just steered you on the right path." Tron placed a hand on Beck's shoulder before walking away.

Mira sighed as she followed Beck out of the safehouse once more. It seemed like this would get them nowhere, and they had to meet with the 'Jolly Tricksters' once more. She wasn't sure what Beck had in mind for their first mission.

"Did that give you any ideas?" she asked as they headed for the abandoned warehouse.

"Yeah, I have a good plan." Beck grinned when he looked at her.

It didn't take them long to reach the abandoned warehouse. Mira changed her suit once more as she began pacing. She turned just in time to see that Mara and her friends Moog and Rasket had returned. Beck glanced at them as well, but Mara was the first to approach.

They settled down near the center of the building. Mira stood beside Beck while Mara, Moog and Rasket sat on stools. Rasket was fumbling around with a screen he'd pulled up, while Beck had pulled up his own screen. The three of them looked as though they were still trying to process what had happened.

"The right path," Beck began as he sifted through the images on the screen in front of them. Mira stood firmly as she watched the image of Tesler's ship come into view. "Whether it's fighting the occupation or defacing public property—"

Moog's eyes widened when he realized what their next target would be. Mira nearly rolled her eyes at the way he seemed to drool over their next target. If all he wanted was the excitement of the chase, he was in this for the wrong reason.

"Whoa, that's Tesler's ship!" he exclaimed.

"Each fifth cycle General Tesler's ship comes to port for fuel," Mira explained.

She remembered Tron mentioning this to Beck when they first searched for the data cube.

"There's a data cube in Tesler's ship with information on it, and you're going to help us get it." Beck finished for her.

"That's the biggest canvas in Argon!" Rasket looked at the ship longingly, and once again Mira's fists clenched.

She knew that these programs were only in it for the thrill. They didn't realize how big of a risk they were making by doing what they did.

"You won't be anywhere near the ship," she snapped.

"That's right." Beck glanced at her, and she knew that he was annoyed with her reaction, but she wasn't going to hold back. These programs were too stupid to realize what they were getting themselves into. "You're going to put that free code of yours to good use outside Tesler's ship, while we go and get the data cube."

"That way the guards are distracted while you're inside!" Mara finished for him. "Amazing that I figured that all out huh?"

She glanced at her companions excitedly, but Moog and Rasket frowned.

"Wait, so we're just your distraction?" Rasket demanded after frowning in surprise.

"Where's the fun in that? We want in on the thrill!" Moog added in a whiny voice.

Mira's eyes narrowed as Beck suddenly turned around.

"If you just want in on the thrills, then you might as well give up already," he snapped.

Silence fell between them before Mara stood up. Mira didn't miss the anger flashing across Mara's eyes when she turned to face her companions.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" she scolded. "This is Tron and the renegade we're talking about. Moog, they inspired you to use your creation. And they inspired Rasket to fight back—"

"Uh, Rasque," Rasket cut in and glared as Mara rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I don't know about you, but I'm willing to fight alongside them."

Mira was surprised by the inspirational words Mara had chosen. She would have made a good leader if it wasn't for her lack of faith in herself. Mira had a feeling that if there were a female version of Tron, Mara would fit that description perfectly, minus the lack of humor Tron had.

"So are we in?" Beck turned around once Mara was finished. Moog and Rasket exchanged looks before nodding in agreement. "Good, you'll be at the docks using your free code, and wait here after you're finished."

The three programs stood up. Mira watched as their masks hid their faces. She couldn't help but grin back as they turned their light cycles towards the docks. Despite Moog's need for thrill and excitement, she had a feeling he would have made a good friend.

 _But I'm not about to trust them so easily_ , she reminded herself.

"Do you still have that light jet baton I gave you?" Beck asked when he turned to face her.

"Of course," she replied.

"Good, we're gonna need it."

Mira wasted no time in handing him the baton.

She had practiced driving a light jet since her last encounter with Tesler. But two light jets would look more suspicious than one. If they were lucky Tesler or his soldiers would be too busy searching for the Jolly Tricksters.

Beck rose high enough into the sky that they wouldn't be detected by anyone on the ground. Mira watched as the graffiti the Jolly Tricksters created began to develop around the docks and city. She was amazed at how beautiful the artwork looked.

She held on as Beck dove towards the ship. Recognizers flew towards the docks and the outer city as more of the code appeared. Mira smirked when she realized that Beck was right – Tesler wasn't about to let the programs that caused this graffiti get away alive. Fortunately Mara wasn't an easy program to capture, and hopefully her friends were just as good.

"Remember, don't let the guards see us," Beck whispered when they jumped into the ship.

Mira rolled her eyes as she followed him into the room where the data cube was kept. This wasn't the first time they had tried infiltrating Tesler's ship. She glanced around nervously as she remembered their last adventure in Tesler's ship. A place where hope goes to die. She wasn't sure where she had heard those words from, but she knew that they fit Tesler's ship.

Her heart was beating frantically as Beck found the data cube they were looking for. She was surprised there weren't any soldiers wandering about. Tesler really didn't want those programs getting away.

"Let's go."

She almost jumped when Beck grabbed her by the wrist. He held onto the data cube as they made a run for it.

Beck wasted no time in returning to their meeting place. Mira blinked in surprise when she saw Mara standing near the ledge. She was alone – something that sent a thrill of worry through Mira. Beck glanced at Mira before walking forward. Mara was biting her finger, and Mira restrained a giggle.

 _A User would have done that_ , she thought.

"You're alone," Beck said in an accusing tone.

Mara gasped and whirled around to face them.

"I'm sorry, I tried stopping them!" she tried to explain.

"Where are they?" Mira demanded as she folded her arms.

"There."

Mara looked down at Tesler's ship, and Mira's eyes widened in disbelief.

 _Idiot bit-brained programs_! she thought angrily. She imagined that Tron would have used a colorful vocabulary for them, but now wasn't the time to think about him. Moog and Rasket were likely already captured, and she couldn't imagine what Tesler would do to them as punishment for what they had done.

"What were they thinking?" Beck sighed.

"They weren't." Mara's reply made Mira smirk in amusement. "I'm the one who usually does the thinking for them."

"We need to free your friends before they're derezzed," Beck said as he grabbed an extra baton.

Mira raised an eyebrow when she realized that he had a spare light jet baton.

She drew out her own light jet baton and flew into the air, leaving Beck to ride with Mara. She looked over her shoulder to see that Beck had joined in a nanocycle later.

"Zed's never gonna believe this!" Mara exclaimed as they flew towards Tesler's ship.

Mira hadn't missed the look of pure bliss on Mara's face as she had her arms wrapped around Beck. She wondered how Mara would react if she knew who the renegades really were. Something in the back of her mind told her that things would turn out very differently if Mara knew the truth about them.

Once again they were undetected by Tesler's soldiers, much to Mira's surprise. Mara was having the time of her life as she followed Beck into the ship.

Mira wondered if she would have felt the same way after being trapped in the garage all day. She knew what it felt like being stuck inside all cycle. But Mara had the freedom of going to clubs or doing what she wanted. Mira was stuck with good old Tron, who only let her go out on missions or with Beck.

She sighed as she followed them into the ship. It seemed inevitable that they would get caught. An alarm was buzzing around the ship as they ran to where Tesler would interrogate his prisoners. Mira had never seen this part of the ship before, and felt a shudder run down her spine.

The scattered remains of programs covered the floor that Pavel and a band of soldiers walked on. Moog and Rasket had been caught, and as usual it was Pavel leading them to their doom. Mira's stomach churned with disgust as she looked down at Pavel.

"This way."

Beck's whisper was enough to gain Mira's attention as she ran after him. Mara stood beside him as they looked down at machine Pavel was leading Moog and Rasket to.

Mira's eyes narrowed when she saw a stone-still program sitting in one of the chairs. His expression was filled with horror as Pavel lifted his head.

"Did he scream?" Pavel sneered.

"Yes sir," one of the soldiers replied.

"That's the problem with these programs. They can't hold themselves together." Pavel's last remark made Mira wish she could throw the guy into the Sea of Simulation. He deserved to be lost and forgotten for all of the pain he had caused. The program's remains skittered across the floor, leaving nothing behind. "I'd like some alone time with these two."

A shiver ran through Mira as she imagined what sort of pain these programs had suffered from before freezing in place. Pavel really was a sadist. She seriously wished she could swipe that smirk off his face as he was left alone with the two struggling programs.

"That device extracts a programs' disk information and codes," Beck explained in a whisper.

Mira glared at Pavel as the soldiers threw Moog and Rasket onto the chairs. They were bound by cuffs as the information from their disks were drawn out. It was a cruel method that few Generals resorted to unless it was absolutely necessary. Her hands balled into fists when she realized that Pavel was sadistic enough to use such methods on anyone just to make a point.

"Now before you lose your ability to speak, why don't you tell me who the renegades are?" Pavel demanded.

"We don't know!" Moog cried out. "We use free code, that's all!" At least they were somewhat decent at not giving any information.

"So you work with your hands do you?" Pavel smirked as he pressed something on the machine.

She winced when Rasket let out a cry of pain. His arm suddenly shook, and to Mira's dismay, the code began to fade. This sort of torture couldn't be left alone in the hands of Pavel. They needed to destroy the machine before more programs ended up sharing the same fate.

"Now!"

Beck and Mara began pushing the machine with their legs. Mira joined in and used all of her strength to push it towards Pavel.

The machine let out a creaking noise before it slammed onto the floor. Mira watched in horror as pixels from the machine scattered around Pavel as he made a jump for it. She jumped down just in time to help free Rasket.

"You came back!" Moog exclaimed.

"Don't thank me," Beck replied with a shake of his head.

"You're welcome," Mara sighed with a roll of her eyes.

Mira smirked when Moog and Rasket gave Mara thankful looks. She followed Beck as he led the way towards the entrance of Tesler's ship. By now more soldiers were beginning to appear as the alarm buzzed around them. Mira wasn't surprised to see that Paige was leading a band of soldiers towards the runaway programs.

"You four keep an eye on the entrance," Beck ordered as he reached for his disk.

Again, Mira rolled her eyes as she stood beside him, ignoring his orders once more.

"Sorry, but you're not Tron," she snapped.

Beck sighed in frustration when he realized that she wouldn't listen. She grabbed her light sword and swung it into the thigh of a soldier. The soldier slumped to the floor just in time for her to knock him out.

"You just won't give up, will you?" Paige managed to grab Beck by his wrists.

Mira groaned in annoyance as she struggled to keep a group of soldiers at bay.

"Nope!" Beck pushed Paige away just in time to grab Mira by the arm. She gasped in surprise as he pulled her away. "We need to get out of here alive," he whispered.

Mira was about to say something back when Paige caught up to them. Beck managed to climb to the top of the Recognizers that were lined up. Mira followed him before getting tossed aside by Paige, who grinned when she was about to throw her disk.

Beck tripped Paige with his legs before she could make her aim. She whirled around with her disk in hand as he blocked her blow. Mira looked over her shoulder just in time to see that Mara was holding a recognizer at bay. To her surprise and amazement, the colors Mara used had covered the entire ship, even the window.

It took her a few nanocycles to realize that the recognizer was flying towards the others that were lined up. Without thinking about it she rezzed her light jet baton and flew away. Beck realized what was happening and shoved Paige aside before following her. An explosion shook the ship as the Recognizer Mara had attacked landed into the other Recognizers. Mira felt the heat of flames erupt around them as she led the way towards the exit.

"Mara, run!" she shouted as light copters fell in pursuit.

Mara turned around just in time to get blasted by one of the shots from the band of light copters. She gasped in alarm as she stumbled backwards. Mira's eyes widened in panic when Mara fell out of the ship. She sped forward just as Beck managed to pull ahead. Beck barely managed to catch Mara as they swerved away from the ship, and away from Tesler's soldiers.

Relief washed over Mira's shoulders when they turned back towards the abandoned warehouse. She wondered what had happened to Rasket and Moog while they were fighting Paige. Mara had waited long enough to nearly get killed, but they wasted no time in fleeing.

To Mira's surprise Moog and Rasket were waiting at the abandoned warehouse. Mara ran over to them only to fold her arms and glare.

"We're sorry… about what happened," Rasket murmured.

His arm was nothing more than a hologram now as he looked at Beck and Mira shamefully.

"We messed up real bad," Moog added.

"There's always going to be mistakes," Mira said as she studied them. "But you'll learn from your mistakes."

"Are you still willing to fight back?" Beck asked.

"No way, we're not good enough," Moog replied with a push of his hands.

"We barely survived our last encounter, I don't think we can fight them again," Rasket muttered.

"The right path… it's out there isn't it? You're fighting for Argon City," Moog suddenly looked out towards the city, and Mira tilted her head to one side.

"No, you fighting for the Grid, so that _this_ never happens." Rasket held up his injured arm and looked at them hopefully.

"Hey, it's a good thing you're alive, we need you."

The two programs left before Mara or Beck could stop them. Mira simply stood still as she wondered how much Moog and Rasket had learned from their mistakes. If they had not taken such a big risk than none of this would have happened. Maybe that was why Tron had taken it easy on Beck during his first cycles of training.

"No matter what, I'm still ready to fight alongside you," Mara said as she turned to face them.

Beck took a deep breath before looking back at her.

"But I'm not," he replied.

Mira stiffened when he said that. Mara looked equally surprised as she tried figuring out what he meant by that.

"What… does that mean?" Mara asked hesitantly.

"It means that without your friends, you're useless to me."

Mira stared at Beck in disbelief when he said those words. He was acting so… cold towards his own friend. Mara's eyes widened as he turned and left her standing there. Mira shook her head and followed him.

It didn't take them long to get back to Argon City. Mira was surprised that Beck wanted to go back after what had happened. She could only imagine what Mara must have thought as they left her standing there. Would she be angry? Or would she forgive them?

She blinked in surprise when she saw Tron hiding out in one of the alleys. She was even more surprised to see that he wasn't hiding his face. She exchanged a look with Beck before they sat on the bench beside the alley.

Beck went on explaining what had happened, and how the two programs Mara recruited ended up becoming thrill seekers.

"In the end, Mara was the only one who truly believed in the cause. I just wasn't ready for the consequences," he finished as Tron took it all in.

"She was the one true believer," Mira sighed as she leaned back.

"If she truly believes in the uprising, than she'll come back," Tron replied.

Mira looked across the square to watch the programs wandering around. She hoped that Tron was right. The uprising needed more programs like Mara. Programs that were ready to give their lives to fight Clu.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

Memories of the machine Pavel had used on Moog and Rasket were still fresh on her mind. Mira stared blankly out the window as she wondered what would happen if the machine was used on a User. She shuddered at the possibilities. The machines and devices on the Grid had always fascinated her, but some were straight out of a horror story. Because of that machine, Rasket had lost his arm, and she doubted there was a way to recover the data from his disk.

She went down to the main room to see Tron staring at the screen overlooking the Outlands. It didn't surprise her to see his worried expression. What did surprise her and leave her feeling worried was the fact that trucks were crashing and exploding throughout Argon City. There were several incidents already as far as she could see, and from the looks of it, several programs had been injured from the crashes.

"What the heck is going on with these trucks?" she asked no one in particular, not expecting an answer.

"Someone is causing them to crash without warning," Tron replied once the screen went blank. "There's never any programs inside the trucks; they're all automated."

"And I'm guessing that we're gonna have to clean up the mess," she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "It looks like the crashes are happening around populated parts of the city."

Tron threw her a knowing look that told her he was thinking the same thing. Whoever was doing this knew that the programs around the area would suffer the consequences of these random crashes. What bothered her more than anything was that they were rushed off to the hospital soon after the accidents occurred. It was almost as if the medics had known the accidents would happen beforehand.

 _I wouldn't be surprised if this was a scheme Tesler came up with_ , she thought after crossing her arms. _He's the type of program who wouldn't hesitate to cause chaos and then blame it on the Renegades_.

When neither of them were able to come up with an explanation to the crashes, Tron finally turned the screen off and headed back to the healing chamber. Mira chewed the bottom of her lip and looked out the window until she heard the sound of footsteps. She turned in time to see Beck approaching with a wary look written across his face.

"I need your help," he said after pulling her aside. "Mara's been acting strange—"

"Let me guess, she was in an accident recently?" she asked. Her mind was working overtime to piece together the puzzle Tesler had given them. "That's what we were looking into earlier. A bunch of trucks crashed a few nanocycles ago, all at once."

Beck nodded in understanding after realizing that she was already filled in on what was happening. With Tron already in the healing chamber, it gave them time to investigate the crashes on their own. Mira wanted to see if her theory about Tesler causing the crashes was true. She didn't doubt that he was capable of pulling off such a stunt.

She had a feeling that it wasn't the crash itself that had affected Mara. Something told her that there was a substance in the truck, something only a few scientists knew about around the Grid. She'd heard rumors of a substance that could alter the behavior of programs. All they would need was a satellite dish to enhance the signal.

Once they had reached one of the crash sights, Mira noticed a huge screen panel with Tesler's face across it.

"Please, join us for mingling and music at Argon Park."

Mira rolled her eyes when Tesler said that.

"Since when does Tesler throw parties?" she asked warily.

Something wasn't adding up. Tesler was almost like Tron; a no nonsense kind of jerk who only followed orders from Clu.

"Don't ask me," Beck muttered. "The day Tesler throws a party is the day the Grid is at peace."

Mira almost smirked at that. She knew he had a point. Tesler certainly wasn't going to throw a party just for the fun of it. He had to have an ulterior motive.

Luckily, the soldiers hadn't cleared away the evidence once they had gone inside. Beck had to clear away an orange stripe that acted like a barricade. Once again it was thanks to his quick thinking that they were able to get this far ahead.

"So, exactly how strange was Mara acting?" she asked curiously.

"She thought Recognizers were beautiful."

Beck's expression was grim as they crept inside.

"Well that certainly doesn't sound like Mara," she murmured after realization dawned on her.

Her spirited will was what had given her the chance to fight against the occupation in her own way. Mira pictured her look of determination as she tried inspiring other programs to stand up for themselves. It was Mara's courage and willingness to fight back that Mira always found herself admiring. She wished there were more programs like Mara and Beck on the Grid; programs willing to accept changes and take them head-on.

Once inside, Mira could see bits and pieces of the truck scattered around the area. She was looking around until noticing a strange orange substance coating a side of the truck. Her eyes narrowed for a moment. That looked a lot like the substance a scientist would use to alter a program's behavior.

"Let's split up, it'll be easier if two of us are looking for clues," Beck added after noticing she was staring at something.

Splitting up didn't give them much room to search, but she wasn't going to argue. Knowing that Mara's life could be in danger gave Mira the incentive to help no matter the cost. Suddenly a flashlight lit up the area, and Mira stiffened under the scrutinizing glare of Zed.

"Stop right there, Renegades."

Mira exchanged one look with Beck before standing beside him. Not for the first time, she thanked herself that they had their masks on, otherwise things would have gotten messy. She wasn't in any hurry to let Zed know that she and Beck were the Renegades.

"Go home, before you get hurt," Beck ordered.

He sounded more worried than irritated.

"I don't have to do what you say," Zed snapped.

He crossed his arms and tried to look at them defiantly, though she could see right through his ruse. It was clear that Zed had no idea what he was getting himself into. She nearly rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. If only he could be this way and actually trust the Renegades.

"What is it with you? Do you want to get derezzed?" Beck demanded after jumping down from the rubble.

Now he was only a few inches from Zed after pinning him against a wall. Mira noticed that Zed actually tried putting on a brave face.

"What's with you?" Zed asked in a mocking tone. Mira held back a sigh of annoyance when she realized Zed was more annoying than she first thought. "I'm here because this is the accident my friend Mara was in. Something got knocked loose in her head, and the one program who _should_ be helping me is off with some girl."

Beck flinched at that, and Mira felt heat rise to her cheeks the moment Zed told them that. The whole situation was awkward at best. Though she had to admit, it was fun watching Zed try and stand up to the Renegade, as intimidated as he was. Watching Beck squirm under Zed's accusation made the whole thing that much more hilarious.

"Why am I telling you? He's not your friend. I'm beginning to wonder if he's my friend at all."

Zed turned around just in time for Mira to see the orange coating once more. Beck noticed it as well and grabbed his wrist.

"What's this?" he demanded.

"Obviously a clue, you can thank me later," Zed muttered. He looked down at the orange coating warily before wandering around the wreckage. Mira wasn't surprised when he reached what she guessed was the driver's seat. "Let's find out what really happened. It's a good thing one of us is a mechanic. Let's see what the camera picked up."

Again, Mira nearly rolled her eyes when she looked back at Beck. He was still as stone, unsurprisingly. But he was focused on the screen Zed had pulled up.

A video began playing after Zed found the memory files. Mira blinked in disbelief when she watched the truck pull aside, right into the rail. It skidded across the road, crashing into several vehicles until it came to a screeching halt. The orange coating that they had seen earlier exploded around the crash, landing on the programs nearby.

"These tanks were programed to crash," Beck finally said.

"I'm way ahead of you, now try keep up."

Mira shook her head in frustration.

Zed was trying to outsmart them – something she wasn't too fond of. No wonder Beck spent less time with the guy. She had a feeling he would turn her in the nanocycle he found out she was a User. Yet, that didn't stop her from feeling guilty after she realized he blamed her for keeping Beck away from his friends. She knew that she was partly the reason behind his absence at the garage, but his work with Tron was also keeping him busier than ever.

He managed to find where the other trucks had crashed, and eventually found the amount of trucks that had crashed. Six trucks in six parts of the city. And another was on it's way to it's next target.

"Anyone up for seven?" she asked as she spotted the tanker.

"Let's go." Beck led the way out of the wreckage, rezzing his light cycle in the process. Mira followed him and looked back to see that Zed was following them. She rolled her eyes once more as they fell in pursuit of the truck. "Try to keep up!" Beck shouted as he pulled forward.

"Try not to make me _hate_ you!" Zed shouted back. Mira sighed in frustration when she saw the truck swerve under the bridge they drove onto. "Now what?" Zed demanded as they moved in and out of the traffic.

"How's the turning radius on that thing?" Beck asked as he suddenly spun around.

"Turning _what_?" Zed screamed.

Mira couldn't help but smirk as she followed suit. She was using her modified light cycle, and Mara had tweaked with the breaks and wheels. Thanks to Mara she nearly pulled off a wheelie before pulling in beside Beck. She glanced back to see that Zed was keeping up with them.

"What happened to me not hate you?" Zed demanded.

"Well, this certainly won't help," Mira whispered as she turned towards the rail.

The truck was surging ahead, and she saw that it was moving towards the tunnels.

She surged forward until the rail broke. Mira let out a gasp when she landed on the street below. Beck had followed her, and she could hear Zed shouting in surprise when he landed behind them.

"That was easy," Zed managed to say.

"It's not over yet," Beck promised when they reached the truck

A smaller truck had pulled in behind the tanker truck. Mira cringed when the doors swung open, revealing four soldiers who had been waiting for them. Of course Tesler would have made sure these trucks were heavily guarded. He wouldn't want anyone interfering with his plan, whatever it was.

"You're very popular," Zed said as two soldiers pulled out of the truck with their light cycles.

"They're not here to make friends!" Mira called back.

She gasped when the soldiers pushed her into a pair of light walls. She glanced around nervously until Beck managed to squeeze in, pushing her out. Beck managed to swing his disk into one of the soldier's light cycles, while Mira threw her disk into the soldier beside her. Beck had thrown his disk into the light cycle that was pushing him into the light wall the two soldiers ahead had created.

Mira blinked in disbelief when the soldiers pulled beside each other, using the light wall to derezz Beck's light cycle. He saw the move coming and threw his disk into the pole of a sign in front of them. The sign fell just in time for Beck to move along the ramp, narrowly avoiding the light wall. Mira followed him quickly and threw her disk into the other two light cycles, leaving the soldiers behind.

"Let's go," Beck told them when Mira moved alongside Zed.

The three of them surged forward until Beck fell in beside the truck. It was moving at a faster pace, and they had to work quickly before it crashed. Beck managed to get on board after turning his light cycle back into a baton. Mira jumped up just as she turned her light cycle back. Beck pulled her up just as Zed moved in beside them.

"Oh this is not fun," he gasped as he struggled to get on board. He pulled up just as his light cycle got caught under the wheel of the truck. Mira cringed when she realized that it had been derezzed. "That's _two_ light cycles you owe me now," he grumbled as he jumped into the truck.

Mira rolled her eyes after following them into the truck. She sat between Beck and Zed.

"We need to stop this truck before it reaches its destination." Beck tried breaking the code before Zed grabbed it.

"You grab the wheel, I'll switch it to manual mode," he said.

The truck had suddenly swerved to the right, jostling them just as Beck managed to pull the break. The truck had rolled over the rail, and now it was dangling over the Sea.

"We need to jump," Beck ordered as he looked at Mira.

Mira followed him just in time to see the truck fall into the Sea of Simulation down below. Zed let out a laugh when he looked down at the Sea of Simulation. As much as he tried to hide the rush of adrenaline from earlier, it was obvious he felt it. She wondered how long that was going to last until he realized how much danger he was in.

"Nice," he whispered.

Mira jumped when a set of explosions shook the city. She looked up in time to see that more trucks had been set to crash.

"You know how we'll stop these crashes?" she asked after recovering from the shock.

"We follow the victims," Beck finished for her.

"I knew that." Zed rolled his eyes as they ran away.

Mira rezzed her light cycle once more as they reached the area the last truck had crashed. Programs were being carried off by medics. Their sirens wailed as they moved towards what Mira guessed was a medic center. Beck and Zed followed suit as she led the way to where the programs were taken.

A set of rails blocked their way into the building, and Mira easily jumped over them. She turned around in time to see Zed stumble over the rail.

"Zed!"

Beck glanced at his friend nervously as Zed recovered. It was painfully obvious that Zed had no experience in this kind of field. She almost wished that he'd stayed behind when they went after the victims. But, she knew that he wouldn't have left them alone if they did that. Or worse, he would've gotten himself into deeper trouble trying to find out what happened to Mara.

"I'm fine!" he promised.

They ran along a path that kept them hidden from view. Mira's eyes narrowed when she saw soldiers keeping watch over the area. The programs that were infected with the orange coating had been taken into a building.

She looked up to see an antenna reaching for the sky. Her fists clenched when she realized that a pulse was vibrating from the antenna, and she guessed that was where the source of Mara's behavior came from.

"That antenna is what's infecting your friend Mara, and countless other programs that breathed in any of that orange stuff," Beck explained after following Mira's gaze.

Mira wandered towards the building the antenna was attached to. In order to reach the building, they had to climb down a ladder. Mira could hear the voices of programs inside when they reached the bottom. She peered into the door to see the scientists – exactly as she predicted.

She flinched when she heard Zed shouting in alarm. He must have missed a step as he fell down. Beck caught him before the two programs realized that they weren't alone. Mira's eyes narrowed into tiny slits when she spotted Pavel whispering to the scientist.

"We need to find a way to destroy that antenna," Beck whispered after letting Zed go.

He let out a sputtering cough and glared before looking back at the antenna.

"Anyone got a bomb?" he asked with a smirk.

"Dirigible launch in progress," a voice suddenly announced.

"We do now," Mira replied. "Come on!"

She led the way towards the dirigible. Beck wasted no time in following her, while Zed was a bit more reluctant. The ship was flying over Argon Square. Mira could see programs shouting or dancing as the orange gas filled the area.

On the screens around them were the words, "Perfection is freedom."

Zed's mask suddenly hid his face when they looked down at the crowd.

"Good thinking, we don't want any of those guards recognizing you," Beck said just when Zed glared at him.

"I'd rather not inhale any of that gas," he admitted.

 _He does actually think before he speaks_ , Mira thought. She could only imagine what the sickly orange gas was doing to those programs. It also made her realize that Tesler wasn't above controlling everyone who opposed his rule. The thought left her stomach clenching with outrage. Programs deserved a taste of their own free-will, which was something that Tesler wanted to take away.

"We can't leave Mara down there," Zed added when he looked back down at the crowd. "I'm going after her."

He suddenly grabbed one of the emergency chutes and placed it on his back.

"You don't know how to use a chute," Beck muttered.

"Sure I do… well, I've seen others do it."

Zed rolled his eyes once more while trying to get the chute on. Mira smirked when Beck helped him out.

"Your friends are lucky to have you looking out for them. Bend your legs and arms while landing," Beck instructed as Zed moved towards the door.

He looked back at them before jumping off of the ship. Mira raised an eyebrow when Beck turned towards the control room.

"So now what?" she asked as she followed him.

"We crash the ship," he replied.

A guard was flying the ship, unaware that the renegades were on board. Mira threw her fist into the guard's back, knocking him unconscious. Beck grabbed the controls just in time to move the ship towards the tower. Mira groaned when the door to the control room swung open.

Standing at the entrance was Pavel. His expression was priceless – it was filled with shock and anger. But Mira knew that he wouldn't let them live, not without some kind of fight. Pavel was one of the worst commanders Mira had ever come across. If she could, she would have derezzed him for being such a sadist.

"Go now, unless you want to be part of the fireworks," Beck ordered.

"But I love fireworks!" Pavel shouted as he grabbed his disk.

Mira reached for her disk and blocked a fatal blow, just in time to receive a kick in the leg. Her teeth ground together in pain as she threw a fist into Pavel's stomach. Pavel stumbled back and grabbed a light sword. Mira winced when he plunged the light staff into the soldier she had knocked out.

"Why won't you stand still?" Pavel demanded as she dodged each swipe of the sword.

"Maybe she doesn't want to get derezzed." Pavel let out a gasp when Beck managed to knock him off of his feet.

He recovered quickly and started swiping his disk at Beck. Mira sighed in annoyance and was about to strike back when something slammed into Pavel's back. She turned to see Keller glaring down at him.

"We had him…" Mira cut herself off when Keller looked back at them.

"Yeah, I still had to do that," she replied.

Mira grabbed her disk once more as Pavel recovered from the impact. She followed Beck's pose and prepared for another fight. Pavel's eyes widened in panic before he turned and threw his disk at the closed door. Mira smirked when he ran like a coward.

Keller looked back at the window. Mira followed her gaze, and her eyes widened in alarm.

"Run!" Keller shouted as she made a run for it.

Beck grabbed Mira by the wrist as they ran towards the nearest exit. Mira sighed in relief when he rezzed a light jet baton he'd been carrying. Keller had grabbed one of the emergency suites. Mira looked over her shoulder to see the scientist make a safe landing down below.

"That was too close," Beck sighed when they reached the edge of the city. "Are you okay?"

He looked at her leg in concern.

"It's fine, just a slight bruise," she replied. "So Zed thinks you're secretly meeting with me?" She grinned when her mask receded.

"Don't even start with that," Beck muttered.

Embarrassment crawled over Mira's skin as she thought of what Zed had told them. She thought back to when they had first met. Those were the worst couple of cycles she could think of since arriving in Argon City. But over time she had begun to appreciate Beck's companionship. He was a friend, someone she could trust and rely on.

"I should get back before Tron blows a circuit," she sighed as she stood up. "I'm sure I'm already in for a lecture."

Knowing Tron, he would likely call her a bitbrained User. He was probably right, but she'd rather not hear it from the security monitor himself.

"You know; we never really did get a chance to just hang out alone." Mira raised an eyebrow in surprise. She turned to look at Beck. "Next cycle we're out we can hang out at the club, or do something fun for a change."

For the first time since they met, Mira smiled.

"I'd like that," she replied.

Before Beck could respond to that, she got on her light cycle and sped off back towards the safehouse. For the first time in her life, she actually felt happy. Mira hadn't realized until now that she was actually beginning to enjoy the fact that she worked alongside Beck. And despite the grief of fighting Dyson, she was beginning to slowly trust Tron.

 _How long is it going to last_? she couldn't help but wonder. One thing was certain, happiness was not something that lasted on the Grid. She knew that sooner or later, something would come up that made her life a living hell again.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

Mira found herself twiddling with more strands of code from her disk. Lately she had been teaching herself how to use free code like Rasket and Moog. Only this time she was trying to create things with the code she found. There was something from her past that she remembered. Part of being a User meant that she could do things other programs couldn't. And that was what she had been trying to do. The butterfly was just one of her creations, and she was hoping for something a little bigger this time.

It took a few tries for her to get the image right, but finally she was successful. The lithe shape of a feline figure appeared in front of her as she continued messing with the code. A few more nanocycles passed before the image finally took proper shape. Mira couldn't hide the grin that followed when she saw the kitten she had created. It was black, with red circuits like a program and orange-red eyes.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing?" she asked cheerfully when the kitten purred.

The best part of this code was that it would last forever, unlike the butterfly. The kitten jumped onto her shoulder once he was relaxed enough. That was when Beck chose that moment to arrive.

"What is that?" he asked warily after noticing the small creature on her shoulder.

"It's a kitten," she tried explaining while holding back a laugh at his expression. "You see, I was trying to figure out how modifying the code works and… well, this happened." Mira didn't miss the look of confusion in Beck's eyes. "They make good companions when you're feeling alone," she added helpfully.

Having a companion… that actually sounded like a good idea. Mira remembered feeling more alone than ever when she had left Quorra all those cycles ago. She could have used a friend at the time when she was still recovering from her time as Clu's captive.

She couldn't help but smirk when the kitten jumped onto Beck's shoulder and nuzzled him affectionately. He was tense at first, unsure what to do when the kitten stared at him with large reddish orange eyes. But he began to relax a little more after realizing that it wasn't a threat.

"Have you thought of a name for it?" Beck asked.

He sounded genuinely curious as the kitten leaped back onto Mira's shoulders. She knew that it would some time getting used to having a new companion around them.

"Hm… I didn't really think about that," she admitted sheepishly. After all, this had only just been an experiment. She wasn't expecting it to be successful. Though, seeing the kitten now made her realize she had no regrets. She realized there was so much more she could do to manipulate code once she figured out how to do so. There was one name that crossed her mind the moment she thought of it. "How about Rinzler?" she asked after hesitating for a moment.

"Are you sure about that?" Beck rose an eyebrow in surprise when she mentioned that name.

Almost at once she found herself back in the arena, facing the program in question. Mentioning the name only brought back bad memories, yet somehow Mira knew that it hadn't necessarily been Rinzler's fault for what he did.

 _Clu is the one to blame_ , she reminded herself.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she said out loud. She smiled as Rinzler swatted at her finger while she was rubbing his chin playfully. Then she noticed the look of amusement Beck was giving her. "What?"

"Who are you, and what have you done with the User I first met?" he asked with a grin.

Mira tilted her head in surprise when he asked that. Had she really changed that much? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she _had_ changed. She wondered how much of that would have been possible if they never met. Before they met, she had never trusted anyone. Opening herself up to Beck had provided her with the chance to see that not every program was the same.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "So… why are you here so early?"

She gave Rinzler a chance to explore his surroundings once he was settled down. Hopefully Tron wouldn't be too surprised when he discovered the kitten sleeping on her bed.

"Able gave me time off for the next couple of cycles," he explained with a shrug. "I asked him if I could have a vacation." Mira rose an eyebrow in surprise when he said that.

"Really? Since when has Able given you time off without a fight?" she asked in disbelief.

Able knew who they were. It was best not to push their luck around the older program, especially given his knowledge of the fact that he knew Tron was alive. While he also knew that she was a User, he didn't use that against them too often. She was grateful that he didn't; she wasn't sure what she would have done if he suddenly decided to stop helping Tron.

"Yep… so I'm free for a change," he replied sheepishly. It was only than that Mira remembered the deal they had made last cycle. She nearly facepalmed after realizing she almost forgot. "So…" Mira almost laughed when she realized he was stuttering, trying to find the right words to say. "Do you want to do something?"

She found it hard to believe that this was the same program who had taken on Tesler and his commanders. To be reduced to nothing more than a stuttering program almost made her laugh. Though she wasn't sure what to say herself, especially given the circumstances. The last thing she wanted was for anything to get awkward between them.

"Okay, but we're doing this my way," she replied after giving it some thought.

"That sounds fair enough."

Mira let out a sigh and looked at Rinzler, who was now curled up on her bed fast asleep. She still hadn't used the bed since arriving in the safehouse. At least someone was making use of it.

"I don't know what I'm going to tell Tron," she murmured warily. "He's gonna freak when he sees Rinzler."

She found herself flinching at the name. It was going to take some getting used to.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Beck reassured her. "It's not like he hasn't dealt with surprises before."

Mira only stuck her tongue out at him at that, though she knew he was right. She had kept her part as a User a secret for so long. The moment Tron found out she was a User was when things started changing. She could only hope that Rinzler would use this time to sleep until she got back and had time to explain why he was sleeping in her bed.

Once she was ready, she followed Beck down to the main room and found Tron stepping out of the healing chamber. His eyes were narrowed when he saw the two friends standing next to each other. Clearly he knew that something was going on, but of course being the stubborn program he was, he refused to ask.

"We're just going out for a few nanos."

Beck explained how Able had given him time off for two cycles. Mira could already see an argument forming before Tron even responded to their request. She wasn't expecting him to say something that caught them both off guard.

"Just be back before the curfew starts," he snapped. "And keep her safe."

She rolled her eyes at that before grabbing a light jet baton and leading the way outside. There was only one place Mira had on her mind that could give them the best view. And there was only one way of reaching said view, by light jet.

Once they were outside Mira felt her shoulders drop in relief. For once they weren't on any life risking missions. But she still had to keep her cool. Any program that saw anything out of the ordinary would know that she was different. She kept most of her User habits at bay, but some things were difficult to keep hidden.

"You ready?" she asked when Beck joined her.

"Ready for what?" Beck looked at her in confusion when she rezzed the light jet.

"Just get on and you'll see," she replied.

Thanks to her fight with Tesler, she was beginning to get the hang of driving a light jet. She had asked Tron for simulation training, much to his distaste, and had improved since that cycle. Hopefully there wouldn't be any crashes like her first attempt in the simulation.

"Hang on!" She pulled up as soon as Beck sat behind her. Beck leaned forward just as she managed to balance their weight in the air. They were hovering just as she moved towards the tallest building she could find. It was an abandoned building that programs didn't bother going near. Fortunately, she could see that it was still empty, but the lights on top were as bright as any. "And this is the best view in the city," she announced when they landed.

This was the first time in cycles though that she felt any sense of freedom. She couldn't help but smile at the realization that they weren't going on any life-risking missions. It would just be the two of them, and she couldn't think of a better way to spend the cycle than doing something like this.

"Wow." Was all Beck could say once she had turned the light jet back into a baton.

From this height they could see just about everything. Even Tesler's ship was visible, far away as it was. Mira smiled as she leaned forward and saw the garage down below. A few programs were heading to and from their destinations, oblivious to the programs watching them from above. Recognizers flew on ahead to catch programs who were breaking any 'laws'.

"I used to spend a lot of time here before I met you and Tron," she explained after grabbing a seat. To her relief, everything she had left behind was still on the rooftop. "I'd come here just to clear my mind and remember bits and pieces of the Real World."

"Do you remember anything from the Real World?" Beck asked curiously.

Mira looked down below as she tried picturing the Real World. About the only memory she really had was Flynn's arcade. She had lost most of her memories of the Real World while stuck in Clu's arena. She frowned at that realization.

"Well, there is one thing the Grid has in common with the Real World," she explained after thinking it through. "Music was always a big part of my life. It still is." Mira almost laughed as she remembered something from a time when she was with Castor. "There was one time when I was living with Castor, I managed to sneak into the DJ's booth while he was occupied. You should've seen the look on his face when the music changed."

"I've heard that name before," Beck said after she mentioned Castor's name. "Wait, you actually _lived_ with him?"

She nodded.

"Castor was… _is_ a very eccentric program. But I soon learned that he had his own agenda when it came to the Users, so I deflected. That's how I ended up getting caught by Clu's soldiers," she told him.

"Do you ever miss it?" Mira looked at Beck in confusion when he asked that. "The Real World," he added, his voice oddly quiet.

"Honestly, no," she replied. "I've been gone for so long that it's hard to remember what I should miss. I can't even remember what my parents looked like, let alone where I lived."

For so long she had tried remembering her parents and their faces. Maybe it was best to forget them and move on. Mira's mind was so focused on the past that she hadn't realized how close she was sitting next to Beck. That was until she found her head leaning against his shoulder.

"So… what about you?" she choked out after stepping away, fighting the urge to blush out of sheer embarrassment.

Despite her embarrassment, she could feel her heart racing, and the warmth in her chest didn't help. She tried blaming it on the fact that they had been working together for a while now. It only made sense tht they were closer now than they had been before. For a moment, Beck couldn't find the right words to use before thinking fast.

"Let's just say I wasn't always a mechanic," he explained. His voice had become bitter, and for a moment Mira wondered if she had gone too far. "Bodhi and I were close friends before we got a job at Able's garage. He was good at designing tools, and we worked together. Before we came to Argon we were already fighting our own battle against Clu."

Mira looked at Beck in disbelief. She would have never thought of him doing such a thing before they met. Then she remembered how he had fought back when Bodhi was derezzed. It was beginning to make sense how he had missed Bodhi so much. They were a team before his friend's life was taken by the occupation.

She couldn't forget the way Bodhi had reacted when they first saw each other. He had seemed so friendly and open despite the hard life everyone on the Grid had.

"He was a good friend," she sighed. "It must have been hard, watching what happened to him."

She added the last part under her breath. She had watched far too many programs derezz before arriving in Argon City. And it only seemed to get worse as time moved on. She half expected Beck to get angry at mentioning Bodhi's name, or even reminding him of what had happened to his friend. But instead, he looked surprisingly calm.

"It gave me strength to fight back, though," he suddenly said. " _You_ gave me that strength."

Her heart nearly swelled with joy at those words. Mira looked him in the eye and realized that he was telling the truth.

"You know, when we first met, I thought you were just another jerk of a program waiting for the chance to turn me in," she admitted sheepishly. "I guess that was why I was so cold towards you." That much was true. Mira could still remember the first time they had met at Able's garage. The first encounter didn't leave a very good impression, but she suspected that was how it usually turned out. "Come on, there's still plenty to do," she added before things got any more awkward than they already were.

Part of her would have loved to spend the rest of the cycle just sitting on that roof and talking. But she knew where that would have led. She needed to start keeping her emotions in check, especially if they wanted the revolution to continue.

The stairs made creaking noises when they walked down them. Mira felt chills run down her arms as she imagined falling through them. But the building was able to withstand the weight of a light jet landing. She knew that it wouldn't suddenly collapse on them unless something shook the city.

They went off in silence once she pulled out her light cycle baton. Luckily, she always kept it with her. This was the best way to make a getaway if it was needed. Mira shot Beck a knowing smirk before speeding ahead towards the city. She didn't miss the look he gave her once she started swerving in and out of traffic.

"So that's how it is?" she heard him ask over the horns blaring in annoyance.

Mira gaped in surprise when Beck managed to swerve right in front of her, blocking her path and the path of an approaching truck.

"Oh, it's on!" she laughed before using her speed boost to pull ahead. Thank the Users Tron wasn't aware of what they were up to. She could just picture him giving some kind of speech about putting their lives at risk in the middle of traffic and angry programs. At last, they had reached the club, and Mira was still well ahead by the time Beck arrived. "I think I just won that," she said cheerfully.

"No way, I took it easy on you," he protested after getting off his light cycle. He grinned when she punched him playfully in the arm. "Okay, you win!"

"Come on."

Mira stuck her tongue out before wandering into the club. Music was blasting from inside when they entered the room. She noticed that there weren't as many guards this time. Most of the programs were dancing to the rhythm or sitting at tables.

They sat in a corner where no program bothered them. Mira was thankful that most of them were occupied. She could only imagine how Zed would feel justified if he saw Beck with her. At the same time, she wondered what his friends would have thought if they knew what she really was.

 _It's probably better they don't know_ , she reminded herself.

"We should probably go."

Mira stiffened when she saw that Beck was looking over his shoulder. Her eyes narrowed when she saw what he was so worried about.

Seven guards had suddenly entered the club. Leading them was Pavel, the commander she hated the most. He was smirking with glee as he wandered towards the bar. Programs scattered out of the way as the guards pushed past them.

She nodded in agreement and followed Beck out of the club, thankful that they hadn't been spotted. The last thing they needed was another fight against Pavel. She was surprised that Pavel was allowed away from Tesler's ship after what had happened with Keller. They moved as far away from the club as they could.

"I guess I should go back," Mira sighed when she realized that it must be getting late.

Curfew would come into effect soon, and the last thing she needed was to get caught.

Beck looked like he was ready to argue when he thought better of it. He hadn't realized how much time had passed until noticing the amount of Recognizers that were beginning to sweep across the sky. Even he knew better than to stick around long enough for them to get captured.

"I'll go with you," he said after ruffling his hair in embarrassment.

Mira smirked before she rezzed her light cycle. They moved at a steady pace before reaching the Outlands. Recognizers were flying into the city as soon as they reached the Outlands. Mira rolled her eyes when she heard alarms sounding in the distance.

When they reached the safehouse she half expected to see Tron waiting for them impatiently. Mira blinked in surprise when she realized that he wasn't around. She heard something coming from above and exchanged a startled look with Beck.

"Rinzler," she whispered.

Beck nodded and followed her as she ran up the stairs.

Mira's eyes widened in alarm when she saw Tron waiting for them upstairs. He didn't look angry or annoyed like she expected. Instead he was more confused and… _afraid_. Mira smothered a laugh when she saw that Rinzler was crouched in front of him on the bed.

"What is that?" Tron demanded when he glared at the kitten.

"Our new friend," Beck replied with a grin.

Mira rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed. Rinzler's eyes lit up before he jumped into her open arms.

"His name's Rinzler," she explained. "I kind of… created him with loose codes."

Tron tilted his head to one side when Rinzler purred. The noise reminded her of the sounds the real Rinzler would have made. Mira couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the small kitten. This Rinzler was friendlier, at least.

"I always knew Users were capable of such things," Tron muttered when he reached out to touch Rinzler's head.

Tron jumped back in surprise when Rinzler swatted at his hand with a paw.

By now, Mira couldn't help but laugh when she saw his reaction. Beck was smothering his own laughter while Tron glared at Rinzler.

"Just think of him as the new guard kitty; no program is getting past those adorable eyes," Mira laughed when Rinzler looked at Tron hopefully.

Tron sighed in annoyance before looking away. "Fine, he can stay as long as he doesn't cause any problems," he muttered crossly.

Mira thanked him after Rinzler jumped onto her shoulders. She laughed again when he let out a tiny mewling sound. Even Beck had raised an eyebrow in surprise. Things would certainly be more interesting with a tiny companion like Rinzler around. Mira could only imagine what sort of mischief he would get into while they were away.

"Get some rest, tomorrow is going to be interesting for the both of you."

Tron suddenly headed back for the stairs after looking away from Rinzler. Beck looked at Tron in confusion before glancing back at her.

"This was actually the most fun I've had in a long time," Mira admitted once he was gone. "Thanks, for being a good friend."

Beck's eyes widened in surprise before he said his own goodbye and returned to the city. Once he had left, Rinzler jumped into her arms and stared at the door that closed. For the first time in her life, Mira actually enjoyed the time she spent on the Grid. Beck had changed everything for her the moment they had met. Now she wasn't sure where her path led, especially when she found him in the picture. Was it possible that they could be more than just friends?


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Chapter Twenty One**

The soft nuzzling of whiskers was what had woken Mira up. Her eyes snapped open to find Rinzler sleeping beside her. His nose kept twitching as he slept, and Mira realized with a start that he must be dreaming. She laughed and gently stroked between his ears before sitting up.

Memories of the last cycle were still fresh on her mind. Mira couldn't hide the blush that followed as she realized what she had said to Beck. She couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun. Yet hanging out with Beck was just another reminder of how far apart they really were.

 _Would it be possible for programs and Users to be together_? she wondered. It wasn't like she had developed feelings for him. But it did make her curious. She smiled as Rinzler rubbed against her hand, purring from her touch. Rinzler jumped into her arms once she joined Tron in the main room.

"Anything wrong?" she asked when Tron remained eerily silent.

"Tesler has found a new target," Tron announced when he finally turned to face her. Mira raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You remember that scientist, Keller."

Mira nodded as she pictured the scientist who had knocked Pavel out. She could see Keller fighting against the occupation, if she was given enough incentive. Though she had a feeling that the scientist would sooner get captured again than fight for something that appeared to be a lost cause. Especially when it put her life at risk.

"Yeah, she hated Pavel enough to knock him out." She smiled at the memory – at least she knew that Keller didn't want anything to do with the occupation. "So, Tesler wants Keller derezzed, that's nothing new. He wants every program against the occupation derezzed."

She shrugged and looked away. It wasn't as if his reaction to Keller's deflection had been any different from other generals. She'd simply learned to accept that there were some things that couldn't be changed even if someone was willing to make said changes.

"That's not the point," Tron snapped. "Keller is a scientist, if we rescue her she could become an important ally to the uprising."

Mira looked at Tron doubtfully. She couldn't imagine that a scientist of all programs would want to help fight back. Keller didn't seem like the type of program who _could_ put up a fight. That was likely how she had been caught in the first place. But Mira didn't bother arguing with Tron. She knew that he was right; Keller would make an important ally if she joined them.

It didn't take long for Beck to come back. Since he'd taken off for two cycles he was able to come and go as he pleased from the garage. Mira was surprised that Mara and Zed didn't try doing the same. But than Mara might still be angry, and knowing Zed, he was still recovering from his last adventure.

Rinzler jumped out of her arms and rushed over to Beck as soon as the door opened. Mira smirked when Beck let out a startled gasp after Rinzler jumped into his arms. He was still getting used to the fact that they now had a companion looking after them, and Mira found the whole thing amusing as she thought of how other programs would react to his appearance.

 _At least Tron didn't freak out too much_ , she thought upon recalling his reaction to finding Rinzler in the safehouse.

"Hello to you too," he muttered after Rinzler climbed onto his shoulders. "What are we doing this time?"

He looked back at Tron, whose expression refused to waver. Since he had been looking at the files that contained information on Keller and her whereabouts, Mira wasn't surprised that he wanted them to bring her back to the safehouse. She just wondered if his suspicions about the scientist were right.

 _Would she really be willing to join the uprising if she knew what it was about_? she wondered after tilting her head to one side thoughtfully.

"Rescue mission," Mira replied.

Beck looked at her in surprise, but Tron had already returned to the screen. After typing in several codes, an image of Keller appeared on the screen. Mira bit her lip when she realized that Keller was in disguise when Tron pulled up another image.

"Keller is boarding a train to Bismuth," Tron explained. "You two will be taking a ride there." Mira tilted her head to one side when Tron pulled out a pair of tickets. "Just be careful, the guards will often ask for your disk."

He looked at Beck warily, and Mira rolled her eyes in annoyance. She was experienced enough with traffic stops not to let the guards catch her. Besides, it wasn't as if this was her first mission.

"We'll be careful," she promised. Rinzler jumped out of Beck's arms and ran towards her. "You stay here and keep Tron company," she told him. Rinzler looked up at her with his red eyes, and she wondered if he understood a word she had said. Tron certainly didn't look convinced; if anything he looked more annoyed that he'd be spending alone time with their new companion. "Try not to derezz him while we're gone," she muttered when she looked back at Tron.

Some things would never change. At least he wasn't going out of his way to make some valid argument about having animals on the Grid. Mira realized at that point that he was probably just relieved she hadn't left yet. The thought still occurred to her every now and then, especially when she realized Beck was getting strong enough to handle these missions on his own.

"So exactly how are we going to find Keller in a crowd like this one?" Mira asked when they reached the terminal.

Beck leaned forward and sighed in frustration when he realized that she was right. There were too many programs for them to pick apart. And too many guards. Mira groaned when noticed that several guards were boarding the train to Bismuth.

 _They must know that's where Keller is hiding_ , she thought.

"Come on." Beck got off of his light cycle and turned it back into a baton. Mira looked over her shoulder before doing the same. Images of Keller's face were plastered on screens around the station. Mira noticed how a few guards had cornered one program in particular after he made a run for it. "If we're going to find her we need to follow those guards. Play it cool."

Beck looked back at her as if he expected her to argue. Mira simply shook her head and followed as he led the way to the train. She knew it was pointless to argue with logic. Especially after noticing how heavily guarded the train itself was.

Again, there were countless programs in the passenger cars. Mira realized that the guards were splitting up, each going into a different cat to question programs. And one of the guards boarding the train was Paige.

"Well this just got more interesting," she whispered under her breath.

If Beck heard, he gave no sign of interest. Mira rolled her eyes and started pushing her way through the crowd of programs. He was headed for the car Paige had just left. Mira wondered whether she should pull him aside or just give themselves away at that point, until she saw who Beck was after.

Her fists clenched in surprise when she realized that the program was sitting in a lounge car. They kept looking around as if expecting an enemy to leap out of the corner. And Mira suspected from the shifty way the program kept looking around the program in question was Keller. She rose an eyebrow in surprise when she noticed that the program was holding a strange device after they checked to make sure they were alone.

Paige being on the train itself only led to bad news. Mira suspected she had been sent by Tesler to recover Keller before she reached Bismuth. Whatever her reasoning behind boarding the train, Mira knew it wouldn't lead to anything good.

The program sighed in relief and sank into his seat after piercing his skin with the device. Mira winced and wondered how any program could stand using such an object. Then she realized that this must be Keller, the only program who would need a disguise other than the Renegades.

 _If she's hiding from the Occupation, it makes sense that she'd want to wear a disguise of sorts_ , she realized. She'd wondered what programs used to disguise their entire appearance. She had always been able to disguise her hair and even her facial appearance a little with her disk, but she suspected that was due to being a User rather than a program.

"Hello, Keller, going somewhere?" Mira said after walking towards the booth. Beck stood beside her and grinned when Keller jumped in surprise. Her expression changed from a look of relief to that of terror when she realized that someone had recognized her. "Don't make a scene."

"Who are you?" Keller demanded.

"Let's just say that I'm part of a growing resistance in Argon," Mira replied after looking around warily.

Beck was keeping an eye out for any soldiers that might wander into the car. Since he'd been worried about how Keller would react to him appearing at her side, he'd asked Mira to take over the task of explaining their situation.

Her eyes widened in alarm when a door swung open. Paige had wandered into the car, and Beck looked back in surprise when he realized who had wandered int the car.

"Don't." Keller started looking back when Mira stopped her. The program's eyes widened in panic when her disguise began wearing off. "Your disguise…" She broke off when Paige questioned a group of programs that were sitting beside the door. "There's no time, get to the stairs," Mira ordered when Keller fumbled with her device.

She had dropped it in surprise and was trying to look for it when Mira held back a sigh of frustration and pushed her towards the stairs. She knew that if Paige recognized her, the commander wouldn't hesitate to arrest her. Getting Keller away from the commander was the most important task they had at the moment, not looking for some device that altered her appearance.

"Paige, what are you doing here?" Beck was distracting Paige as she tried getting past.

Mira rolled her eyes and stood up to join him.

"Do I know you?" Paige demanded.

"We met before," Beck replied.

He was grinning sheepishly while trying to keep her distracted.

Mira only rolled her eyes at the way he was staring at Paige. The commander was not happy, and understandably so.

"I've met a lot of programs before," Paige muttered crossly.

"But we had something." Beck was persistent. Paige managed to get past and glared when Beck stopped her. "We met at the games, I smiled, said 'My cuffs are too tight'." It was at that point that Mira tried not to gag in disgust. Especially when Paige crossed her arms and glared at Beck. "Maybe this will jog your memory, 'One goes free, one goes free!'" he added in a hopeful tone.

"Oh, now I remember you two. Your disk skills were… adequate, for an amateur." Mira smothered a laugh when Beck frowned in annoyance. "But don't worry, I'm sure that you excel at your job. Don't you find waste disposal fascinating?"

By now, Mira was struggling for air as she held back her laughter. Paige was really going all out with the insults. Not that Mira couldn't blame the commander. She clearly wanted to get her job done, and Beck did an even better job at trying to distract her.

"For your information I have a job," Beck snapped defensively. He glanced at Mira and rolled his eyes when he noticed that she was clutching her stomach and trying to catch her breath. "I'm an… architect."

Anyone with eyes could clearly see that Beck was anything _but_ an architect. Mira kept her mouth shut though as she realized Beck was hoping Paige wouldn't recall them meeting at the garage. But it seemed as though Paige believed him as she relaxed her posture.

"And what exactly are _you_ programmed for?" she looked at Mira, who glared back.

Beck may be willing to trust the commander, but Mira wasn't. She had seen what Tesler's soldiers were capable of, and what sort of trauma programs had suffered from because of them. Paige might not be nearly as annoying as Pavel, but that didn't make her any better.

"That information is classified," she retorted, earning a look of surprise from Beck. Fortunately, Paige couldn't ask any further questions when blaring red lights gleamed into the car. Mira let out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she was holding. A light copter was hovering in front of the train, and of course the program operating said light copter happened to be Mira's least favorite commander. "Great," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. Paige had gotten away as Beck looked around in surprise. "An architect, really?" She looked at Beck in annoyance when they were alone.

"I was… improvising," he replied with a shrug. Mira only rolled her eyes at that. "Come on, we need to stop Pavel before he finds Keller."

Mira nodded in agreement before following him. She knew that Pavel would likely cause more trouble than they needed. One commander was bad enough, but two would just be dangerous. Especially with Pavel around. He didn't care what happened to the programs around him. She had her doubts about Paige though. It was clear that Beck liked her, despite everything she had done to him.

She couldn't help but grimace as she remembered the previous cycle they spent together. Not for the first time, Mira found herself wondering why Beck had bothered at all. Maybe he just took pity on her and thought that would make up for what was happening now.

They followed Paige into the top of the train, where wind buffeted against them. Mira looked up just in time to see Pavel and Paige arguing.

"I don't need your help, get out of here now!" Paige shouted above the roar of the light copter.

"Unfortunately, our gracious leader believes otherwise," Pavel sneered.

"I can find Keller on my own," Paige snapped.

"Apparently you can't, because I just flushed her out!"

Mira groaned when she turned to see Keller peering through another opening in a different car. Beck pulled her down just in time as the light copter began shooting at them. Without warning Mira threw her disk into one of the blades on the light copter. It swerved away from the train and aimed it's shots towards Keller, who dropped the chute she'd grabbed in surprise.

She couldn't help but gasp when the train jolted forward. She looked back to where Paige and Pavel were standing to see that an explosion had wracked the train's throttle. It was moving at an impossible speed, and Mira hung on for dear life when she realized that something had gone wrong with the engine.

"Are you happy now?"

"I'm ecstatic!" Pavel was sneering again as the light copter hovered nearby, just close enough for him to jump on.

"Thanks to you and your trigger happy pilot hundreds of innocent programs are going to die!" Paige sounded furious as she stood up to Pavel.

 _I wish I could have said that to his face_ , Mira thought with a slight chagrin. She had to admit, Paige had a lot more courage than she realized. Though being one of Tesler's top commanders probably meant she had to have that kind of courage to keep fighting on.

"What I did you ungrateful ingrate, was stop a program from escaping, and I've sent her to her early demise." Pavel's eyes narrowed as he glared at Paige. "Now come on, and maybe I'll let you stay and watch the fireworks."

"I'm not leaving this train until I have Keller."

"Oh, Paige, how predictable you are, even to the bitter end!" Pavel shouted before he jumped on.

His voice was grating to Mira's ears, and she couldn't stand hearing the way he spoke down to Paige. She wasn't sure how Paige could stand working alongside a goon like him. It was clear from watching them that they didn't get along that well. The only reason Paige seemed to tolerate Pavel's presence was because they happened to be coworkers, and fighting against a coworker would likely lead to certain deresolution.

Mira looked down to see that Beck was climbing back in. She followed him down the latter and through the panicking crowd of programs. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Keller moving towards an unguarded door. She pushed her way through the crowd until she reached the room Keller had disappeared into.

"Keller, don't." Beck stopped her before Mira could by pulling her out of the window. "Risking your life isn't going to get you anywhere," he added when she turned to glare at him.

"And neither is joining some ragtag revolution," Keller shot back. "At least if I go to Bismuth, I can start over." She looked like she was about to say something else when the cars shook once more. Mira jumped back when they were both thrown out of the room and into the car. "Then again, maybe that isn't an option either," Keller said when Paige walked into the car.

"Don't say that. Whether you join the revolution or not, we're getting you to Bismuth alive," Mira said when she pushed Keller aside.

The program eyed her cautiously before she gave a reluctant nod of agreement. Even if she doubted whether or not they could be trusted, at least Keller was willing to listen. Mira just hoped that she and Beck would buy her enough time that she could escape and reach Bismuth as planned.

"Paige, how's it going?" Beck stopped Paige before she could get any closer.

"Are you trying to get yourself derezzed?" Paige demanded when she pushed her way past.

When Beck blocked her way again she threw him against the wall. Mira tensed as she realized Beck might have pushed Paige just a little too far this time. She knew there was only so much the soldier could take on a daily basis.

"Look, I just wanted to help," he admitted.

"How can you help? You're just an architect."

"I lied… actually… I'm really a mechanic." Beck dropped his gaze when Paige glared.

Mira sighed in annoyance when she realized that Paige was having trouble believing him. After the last few lies, she couldn't necessarily blame Paige for not trusting Beck. Then again, if Paige really knew who Beck was, she would turn him in within nanocycles.

"Why would you lie to me?" Paige's voice was cold as she pressed Beck's face against the wall, but Mira could sense the curiosity in it.

"I was trying to impress you. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Now, it was Beck's turn to sound embarrassed when Paige's grip lessened. Mira only rolled her eyes when he said that. Seeing the look in Paige's eyes told her that the commander was having trouble believing him.

Suddenly, the doors and walls around the train had begun to close, and the programs inside started panicking. Mira looked around to hear that an alarm stated the code in the train was trying to resolve the issues that had started.

"Fine, you wanna impress me, than fix that!" Paige ordered after releasing her grip.

Mira rolled her eyes as she followed them. Paige was shoving Beck towards the source of the problem, and she didn't seem to notice that Mira was following them. Beck pulled out the tool that Bodhi had given him. Paige leaned forward when a screen of codes appeared. They were broken apart in places where the engine was trying to fix.

"Are you sure you can fix it? For all I know, you could've lied about being a mechanic too." Paige sounded bored when she glared down at Beck.

"It wasn't a lie." Beck smirked when the code was fixed. The windows and doors opened, revealing the black sky of the Grid. "And I have a feeling you were impressed with me before this."

Paige only rolled her eyes in annoyance, though she didn't answer right away. That only seemed to give Beck a little more confidence, and Mira caught the look he was giving the commander. She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes after noticing that herself. If Beck wasn't so focused on trying to gain Paige's approval, maybe they wouldn't have gotten themselves into this mess.

"Okay, let's see if we can get the throttle fixed," Paige muttered while looking more annoyed than ever.

Paige led the way towards the sight that had received the most damage. Mira's eyes widened when she saw a gaping hole in the middle, with bits of codes torn apart. Even with Bodhi's tool Beck would have a difficult time fixing it.

"There's not enough code for me to fix this," Beck announced when he saw the extent of the damage. "There's nothing we can do. Unless maybe you can modify the code somehow?" His voice had dropped to a whisper as he looked at Mira hopefully.

She only shrugged in response and shook her head.

 _You got yourself into this mess_ , she reminded him silently. Besides, even if she could modify the code, it would take more time than they had. On top of it, modifying the code would mean giving herself up to Paige. She was in no hurry to alert the entire Grid of her existence again.

"I'm not about to let these programs die!" Paige snapped. "There has to be something we can do."

Her response made Mira blink in surprise. After seeing how the occupation treated so many innocent programs, she found it hard to believe that one soldier could care so much about their fate. Paige was a lot more tolerable than Pavel had been. Even so, that didn't mean Mira planned on putting her trust in the commander.

"Since when does the occupation care about the lives of others?" Mira demanded.

Paige turned to glare at her, and for a moment Mira thought she might kick her off the train. She had little doubt that the commander would stoop to such levels. Even if she wasn't anything like Pavel, that didn't mean she wasn't above taking her anger out on those unfortunate enough to cross her.

Fortunately, Paige only shook her head in frustration.

"You don't know anything about me," she shouted back.

"Fair enough." Beck folded his arms before Paige led the way back into the main engine. "Tell everyone to move to the rear of the car, if I uncouple the train before it derails than it should stop," he added when they reached the com. "You stay with Paige, she'll keep you safe for now."

He looked at Mira pleadingly, but she only glared back. The last thing she planned on doing was spending anymore time with Paige than she needed to.

"If you think I'm about to put my trust in a program who would easily turn me in to Clu, than you're dead wrong," she snapped. She reached for her light sword baton hidden in her boot just to prove her point. "And besides, you'll need the help."

Beck looked as if he was ready to argue when he thought better of it. Seeing the look of determination in her eyes told him arguing would be pointless.

Paige didn't seem to hear them as she told everyone through the com to move to the rear of the train. Mira followed Beck as they reached the second car. She looked back to see that the rest of the cars were empty, and she suddenly wondered if Keller was among those programs.

 _Doubtful; Keller is jumpy and desperate_ , she thought with a sigh of frustration. _She'll do anything to get away from Paige_.

Not that Mira couldn't blame her. She would have done anything to get away herself if she had the choice.

"We need to break this before the train derails," Beck explained when they looked down at the couple.

He grabbed his disk and began working on the chain, and Mira did the same.

"Do you two have this?" Paige asked when she reached them.

"Wait, where are you going?" Mira demanded when she began heading towards the passenger cars. Paige turned to glare, but Mira tried to relax, despite how annoyed she was getting with the commander. "We may need your help," she added in a calmer voice.

She was already walking on thin ice as it was with the commander's attitude. Mira winced as she imagined Paige turning her in without a second thought if she ever found out what she was. She tried pushing the uneasy thought aside. Helping these programs had been her main priority, and she planned on seeing through with that plan.

"Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?" Paige muttered as she leaned against the doorway.

"We're not the only ones who should worry," Beck said under his breath.

Mira rose an eyebrow when Paige leaned forward.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"He means that you didn't just come aboard for a casual trip to Bismuth," Mira replied.

"I'm looking for someone who's also supposed to be on this train," Paige sighed as she looked up. Mira followed her gaze to see that Keller had jumped across the car to the other side. Her fists clenched when Paige suddenly jumped. "You two are on your own now!" she shouted when she reached the top.

"Great," Beck sighed in frustration when the train uncoupled.

Mira jumped onto the other side to join him.

"Now what?" she demanded.

Beck looked around in panic before he reached for the ladder. Mira followed him and climbed to the top to see that the half they had uncoupled was beginning to slow down. The engine car was still speeding ahead, leaving them a wide gap to jump over.

Another train was flying beside them on the light rail. Mira flinched when she saw an escape pod crash onto the other train. She wondered if Keller had been inside, and if this was a pointless mission after all.

"Come on," Beck called when he rezzed his light cycle.

Mira looked over her shoulder before rezzing her own light cycle. She was thankful she had grabbed a spare baton. Mira held her breath when she turned towards the engine half of the train. She suddenly pulled forward until her light cycle was in the air. Before she could reach the other side, her light cycle suddenly turned back into a baton, and she caught the ledge of the car.

Beck wasted no time in following after she pulled herself up. He made a clumsy landing, and she had to help him up.

"Let's go."

Mira ran down to the engine car to see Paige wandering through the hall. She spotted Keller hiding in the upper level and breathed a sigh of relief. At least Keller wasn't in the escape pod when it crashed. She couldn't imagine how terrible of a fate that would have been.

"You shouldn't have followed me."

Mira resisted the urge to flinch when Paige shoved her into Beck.

"Look, I just wanted to see if there's anything we can do to help," Beck insisted after Mira stood up.

Mira's eyes widened in alarm when she looked at the map on the car's doorway. A blinking light showed that a bridge was left unfinished, and the train was moving too fast to stop. They would all crash if they didn't start working together.

"I don't need your help, now stop worrying and got off before you both get killed," Paige snapped.

She turned and ran before Beck could stop her. He noticed the map too and turned to face Mira.

"Is there a way for you to work out the codes?" His expression was helpless, and Mira sighed in frustration once more.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. Suddenly she thought of the breaks on their light cycles, and an idea came to her mind. "We need to get Paige and Keller out of that engine car," she added after looking over her shoulder.

Beck nodded in agreement before pushing his way to the other car.

"You're not going to save anyone's life if you don't get out of here now!" Beck shouted when he reached Paige. Keller peered from her hiding place when Paige turned to glare at him. "We're going to see if we can stop this train before it reaches the bridge," he explained when Paige asked how they would make it out alive.

"And if you can't stop it?" Paige asked coldly.

"Then it won't matter if you're impressed with me," Beck replied. Mira rolled her eyes as she followed Beck towards the top of the car. Her eyes widened in panic when she saw that the bridge was approaching them quickly. "So what did you have in mind?" he asked when they stood in front of the engine.

"Use the breaks from our light cycles," she explained. "The code should be enough to slow it down."

" _Should_?" Beck asked the question warily.

Mira only shook her head and began rezzing the spare light cycle she had borrowed from Tron. She would have kicked herself if she used the light cycle Mara and Zed upgraded. To her relief the code was being pulled into the light rail, and into the train's engine. Beck saw what was happening and did the same with his light cycle baton.

After what felt like cycles the train began screeching to a stop. Mira's teeth ground together when the train hovered dangerously over the ledge of the bridge. Without warning Beck grabbed her by the wrist and they ran before it could fall. Mira gasped when they rolled across the ground just as the engine fell into the Sea Of Simulation.

"We made it!" she exclaimed after recovering from the shock.

Beck looked at her thankfully before looking back at where Paige and Keller had walked over to. A light copter had landed near the crash sight, and Mira sighed in frustration once again. Keller's suit had changed from blue to red, signifying that she had joined the occupation once more.

"So much for that mission," Beck muttered as he tossed what looked like a piece of metal into the sea.

"At least she's alive," Mira couldn't help pointing that out.

She was surprised that Paige hadn't derezzed Keller as punishment for deflecting from the Occupation. Maybe Paige wasn't nearly as bad as Pavel after all. That still didn't make Mira feel any better. She couldn't help but avoid Paige's eyes when the commander tried looking at her curiously.

"I thought for sure you two were derezzed," Paige admitted when she approached them.

"Yeah, so did I," Beck replied after throwing another piece of metal into the sea.

"I'll admit, you are impressive mechanics." Paige glanced at Mira cautiously, and she returned the glare.

Despite everything that had happened recently, she wouldn't trust Paige. Not anytime soon anyways.

"That's good, because we're terrible architects," Mira rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time.

Beck just threw her a look that said it all and dropped the third piece of metal he had picked up. Even Paige laughed when she saw Beck's expression.

"It feels good, saving lives, doesn't it?" Paige asked. Mira eyed her curiously as Paige looked away. "Most of the soldiers in my command don't know this, but I used to be a medic before joining the occupation. Saving someone's life is still important to me."

"You know, that's pretty impressive too," Beck replied after looking at her in surprise.

Mira hadn't missed the way he was staring at Paige. She couldn't help but look away as realization dawned on her. Why did she ever think they would have a chance together? It was obvious that Beck had feelings for Paige, much as he would deny it. And the look the commander was giving him told Mira that the feeling was mutual.

"Hey, here's an idea, why don't you look me up the next time you're in Argon," Paige suggested after a moment of silence followed. "We could… hang out sometime."

"I'd like that."

She swallowed the unease that was threatening to overwhelm her once Paige had left them.

 _I should have known it was too good to be true_ , she thought bitterly as she returned to the safehouse. She didn't say much the moment they had started heading back to Argon City. Her mind was still churning with shock at the outcome of this cycle. Shaking her head at the thought, Mira decided that maybe it was better this way.

She was expecting things to be quiet at the safehouse when she returned. What she wasn't expecting was to see Rinzler sitting on Tron's chest, blinking in amusement. Mira held back a fit of laughter at the sight when she saw the look of annoyance in the security program's eyes.

"Get this thing off of me!" he ordered, and she did just that.

Rinzler jumped into her waiting arms when she knelt down coax him off of Tron.

"That's just his way of saying he likes you," she explained cheekily as Rinzler rubbed his cheek against her hand.

"He decided to attack me," Tron said in an accusing tone, though Mira knew he wasn't holding a grudge.

"He probably just wanted someone to play with him," she replied with a shrug. She rubbed Rinzler between the ears before looking out the large window. "Keller decided to go back," she added quietly.

"I had a feeling she might," Tron replied after crossing his arms.

"She didn't seem like the type who would be on the run for long," she added thoughtfully. "When we found her, she was desperate to get away from the Occupation. But Paige managed to convince her otherwise." Her voice had become bitter at the mention of Paige, and Tron didn't miss it. "Beck thought it would be a great idea to 'hang' out with her the next cycle," she added in an icy tone.

"And you trust her?" Tron rose an eyebrow in surprise before she shook her head.

"Of course not! Paige is a commander for Tesler's army! I don't get why Beck is so hung over her, or why he seems to think she'll actually go along with whatever bitbrained plan he has," she managed to say all of that without losing her breath.

Tron actually looked amused with the way she was ranting. Whether she liked to admit it or not, maybe she was jealous. Whatever the cause behind her sudden anger, she didn't like what was happening.

"She may be a lost cause." Mira nodded in agreement and glared out the window.

"Try telling that to Beck," she muttered under her breath before heading up the stairs.

She was exhausted now, after escaping from a runaway train. Besides, she was annoyed enough with the way Beck had acted around Paige during that terrible train ride. Something told Mira that she was going to regret going with him on that mission, especially after seeing how much closer they had gotten.

Rinzler bounded after her and jumped onto the bed as soon as she did. Once he was curled up beside her, she found it easy to fall asleep. Having a companion was a good idea, especially when she felt lonelier than ever.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Chapter Twenty Two**

" **Did you honestly think that they could be trusted?"**

 **"All you ever do in your life is fail! You're a complete and useless failure!"**

 **"I can't believe I actually liked you.** "

…

Mira woke up gasping for air. Her heart was racing as she looked around in panic. A shudder ran through her when she realized they were just nightmares. More horrible nightmares she would rather forget about. Glancing down, she saw that Rinzler was looking at her worriedly, and she had to rub him between the ears to calm him down.

"I'm okay," she reassured him before looking towards the stairs leading to the main room.

Letting out a sigh, Mira decided to see whether or not Tron was out of the healing chamber yet. Thank the Users he didn't know anything about these nightmares. She wasn't sure how he would react if he knew anything about them. The nightmares were something that she had to live with after xilacycles of suffering. By now, she'd gotten used to either waking up from the sheer terror of them, or just not getting any sleep at all.

Rinzler followed her down the stairs and ran ahead, only to stop and mewl in surprise. Mira narrowed her eyes when she saw someone staring at a few screens he'd pulled out. She crossed her arms as videos and images of Paige appeared on the screens. Despite how annoyed she was, she couldn't help but laugh when Beck realized he wasn't alone. She wasn't entirely surprised to see that he had been eager to find out as much about the commander as he could.

"I was, uh… observing her moves," he stammered.

Glancing at the images, Mira could see why Beck admired Paige from afar. She was definitely attractive, and a lethal opponent in battle. That wasn't what bothered Mira so much, though. She couldn't shake off the feeling that maybe Beck was more interested in Paige because she was a gifted fighter. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought. If they spent enough time together, she wondered if Paige would find some way of convincing him that Users weren't good for the Grid.

If Beck thought that he had some way of convincing Paige that the renegades were good, she wouldn't plan on stopping him. As much as it annoyed her that he was so infatuated with Paige, she could understand why. The commander held a certain air of strength to her that few others could. Even so, Mira didn't trust her one bit after seeing how loyal she was to Tesler. It would take more than a few 'dates' to convince Paige otherwise.

"Of course you are," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. "If you like her, just say it. I won't get offended."

"It's not that… I'm just… worried," he admitted, though it sounded halfhearted as he looked away in embarrassment.

"About?" Mira raised an eyebrow this time.

Beck was about to answer when Tron walked in on them. Mira whirled around to see him eying the screens in amusement. Beck ruffled the back of his hair when he realized that he was caught by his own mentor. Mira stepped back just as Rinzler jumped onto her shoulder to watch Tron curiously. After telling him what they had talked about earlier the other cycle, she wasn't surprised to see Tron eyeing Beck quizzically. Beck tried keeping it as subtle as possible, but there was only so much he could hide from the security monitor.

"Paige is a commander in Tesler's army, I'm just studying her moves," Beck tried to explain as Tron looked at the images from his disk.

"Then you shouldn't have agreed to go on that _date_ ," Tron pointed out.

Mira tried not to laugh again when Beck looked away once more in embarrassment. It seemed like only the two of them had any sense on their minds. Beck, on the other hand, was another story. Seeing the look on Beck's face was priceless, though.

"How'd you find out?" he asked warily.

"I told him," Mira replied.

She nearly rolled her eyes when he began fumbling with his hair after looking at his reflection. She decided at that point that all guys were the same. No matter how much she wanted Beck to be different, he wasn't. If he wanted to go on this date with Paige, she wasn't going to bother arguing with him.

"Your hair's fine," Tron snapped. "It's your stance that's all over the place."

Without warning Tron pulled Beck aside and tossed him across the floor. Rinzler jumped off of Mira's shoulders and ran up the stairs. Mira stayed out of this fight, knowing full well things wouldn't end well if she got involved. Beck fought back by throwing failed punches at his attacker. Tron easily dodged them and managed to flip Beck once more.

"I'm not trying to recruit her!" Beck shouted when Tron kicked him aside.

"Who said anything about recruiting her? I thought she was the enemy?"

Mira winced when she realized that Tron was playing with Beck's emotions. Again. It was one of the many tactics Tron seemed to use against him. She had begun to notice that Beck would often allow his emotions to get the better of him. And, judging from the look on his face, this confrontation wasn't any different. Beck finally realized where Tron was getting at and stopped.

"There's more to her than meets the eye," Beck said once he caught his breath. "I think I can turn her to our side… maybe."

"Winning her over may be a lost cause Beck, but I won't stop you," Tron replied after shaking off their fight.

Mira glanced at Tron in surprise. There was a hidden emotion in his eyes. The moment she caught it, the look faded and Tron left them standing there alone. Holding back a sigh, Mira looked out the window and found herself thinking of what would happen next. She suddenly wondered if things would be any different had Beck never climbed Clu's statue and cut off his head.

"He has a good point," she murmured quietly. "She may be just as stubborn as the rest of Tesler's soldiers."

Call it a selfish desire, but she really didn't want this 'date' to happen. Mira couldn't help but feel as if everything would go wrong from it. Paige didn't know that Beck was one of the Renegades, or that she was a User. But the moment she found out was when things would go from bad to worse. Paige wouldn't hesitate to turn either of them in. Especially Mira herself. Experience taught her that Paige was just like any true follower of Clu.

"You really don't trust her, do you?" Beck's question wasn't really much of a question, more of a statement. Mira simply nodded and refused to make eye contact with him. "What is it with you not trusting anyone?" he muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Beck, you really don't get it, do you?" she demanded, her voice suddenly cold as ice as she turned to glare at him. "If Paige ever found out that I was a User, or if you were the renegade, she wouldn't hesitate to turn either of us in! I've spent my whole life running from city to city, and your stupidity might just ruin the one chance I have at a decent place to stay."

Before he could say anything else, Mira turned and headed upstairs. He could have his date with Paige for all she cared. But that didn't mean she would get involved with whatever they had between them. She would never trust him with her secrets again.

Her fists were clenched with frustration as she reached her room. She wasn't even sure why she was so angry. Rinzler was crouched on the bed when she arrived, eyes wide as she leaned against it and stared out the window.

"Remind me never to fall in love," she sighed as Rinzler nudged her worriedly.

Rinzler only mewled in response and curled up beside her. Mira suddenly wished she could have the innocence her kitten had. He knew nothing about the cruel world outside these walls, or what the Grid had to offer. And maybe that was a good thing, for both their sakes.

…

A whole cycle had gone by without her seeing Beck or any incidents happening. Mira was more than surprised by that. Something almost always happened every cycle. Which left her feeling worried that something even worse would happen when she woke up.

She wasn't expecting to find Rinzler down in the main room after going down the stairs. And she certainly wasn't expecting to find Tron actually playing with him. Mira couldn't hide her grin as he used the lights on the panel to keep the kitten distracted while sweeping the area for anything suspicious.

"It's good to see you two getting along," she said sheepishly when Rinzler snuggled against her.

She couldn't help but smile as she looked down at him. After everything that had happened, she was thankful to have someone she could cuddle with. She'd never had a companion before all of this, and it made her wonder how she managed to survive this long without one.

"You didn't go with him?" Tron asked in surprise when she looked out the window.

"No." She let out a sigh and finally looked at him warily. "I just… I can't bring myself to trust her. Even if she's different from the rest of Clu's commanders, that doesn't make her anymore trustworthy."

For once, Tron actually agreed with her on that notion. Mira couldn't believe Beck was naive enough to think Paige would turn over a new leaf just for him. After everything the Occupation had done to him, she would have thought that he of all programs would know better.

"Did he say anything before he left?"

Mira flinched at that question, and she couldn't make eye contact as she said no once again. She wasn't in any hurry to explain that Beck trusted Paige more than he trusted _her_. The last thing she wanted to admit was that it hurt to know that was the truth. She should have known better than to trust him. She hadn't realized until looking up again that Tron had left after that.

 _I need some alone time_ , she decided while staring out the window, wondering what they were doing out there. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like her time alone would last long. Rinzler had curled up by the stairs when the door swung to the garage swung open.

Mira narrowed her eyes when she saw Beck arrive. The look in his eyes told her that something had gone horribly wrong.

"Before you go into 'I told you so', I need your help," he pleaded as she crossed her arms and glared at him. "Paige and I were put under arrest by Pavel. She was sent to the games, and it's my fault."

"And you expect me to help you after everything you said?" she demanded, her tone like chips of ice.

She would have thought at that point that Beck of all programs would know better. But it seemed as if he was just as bitbrained as everyone else. She wanted nothing more than to knock some sense into his head for thinking that this had been a good idea. But of course, he refused to listen and had gone off on his own anyways. And he'd suffered the consequences for doing so.

"Look, I may have said some stupid things—"

"You've got that right."

"— but that doesn't mean Paige should be punished for something she didn't do," he finished after pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Mira glanced over at Rinzler as he continued sleeping, oblivious to what was going on. For a moment, she almost wished that she didn't have to worry about what was going on in the world. What she wouldn't give for a few nanocycles of peace.

"Alright, fine," she sighed in annoyance. "But this doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you so easily for what you said."

Beck let out a sigh of relief after realizing she would help him. It was decided that they would free Paige from the games, and hopefully that would be enough to have her realize she was fighting on the wrong side. Mira doubted the commander would do anything but join the resistance. She was almost as stubborn as Beck, if not worse.

She followed him out of the safehouse, still wondering where Tron had disappeared off to. Maybe he knew what had happened with Beck and Paige. Either way it was strange that he didn't bother showing up. She grabbed the spare light jet baton she normally used before heading for the coliseum.

Beck had already gone ahead with his own light jet. Mira followed suit and hovered around the coliseum, watching curiously as she spotted Paige fighting several soldiers at once. Her eyes widened in dismay when she realized that it was a fight to the end duel.

"I'll fly under the coliseum, you keep an eye from above," Beck ordered after a few nanocycles had passed.

Mira nodded in agreement and flew higher up. They had changed attire after leaving the safehouse. Beck wasted no time in reaching the underside of the coliseum, while she focused on the next program Paige was forced to fight. The crowd that filled the coliseum seats roared with excitement over the prospect of a match to the death. That was enough for Mira's stomach to drop with unease. Paige may have been an enemy working for Clu, but she didn't deserve to meet the same fate everyone else seemed to meet.

Her eyes widened in horror when she recognized Pavel throwing his weight into the fight. The commander was using what appeared to be the upgrade weapon she had destroyed cycles ago. Mira's fists clenched around the handles when she realized that Pavel had found the second half of the disk. And now he was using it against one of Tesler's own commanders. She watched the scene unfold as Pavel slammed his disk into the floor, shattering the center so that Paige would fall in the pool of energy underneath.

She could hear the crowd roaring with excitement as they prepared for the commander's fall. Mira held her breath when she saw that Paige was holding on for dear life. Each slam of Pavel's boot on the floor caused her to slowly lose her grip. Mira breathed a sigh of relief when Beck flew under just as Paige began to fall. The crowd became even louder when Beck flew above the coliseum, towards her.

Mira saw where he was headed and followed as he led the way towards the bridge where the arches stood on. She turned her light jet back into a baton just in time to see Beck getting tossed across the arch. Paige's expression was filled with fury as she glared at Beck.

" _You_ did this? Why?" she demanded coldly. "Now thanks to you I'll look even guiltier in front of Tesler!"

"We did this because you don't deserve to be treated that way," Beck tried to reassure her as Paige threw in merciless kicks and punches.

Paige was about to throw in another punch when she realized that they weren't alone. Mira managed to maintain her composure as she felt the commander's icy glare practically freeze her on the spot. She had to bite back the urge to say something she would later regret.

"This wouldn't happen if you joined us. You're on the wrong side," Mira suggested after an uneasy silence fell between them.

"The Renegades reign down chaos and mayhem, I could never join you," Paige spat.

"We're fighting for the freedom of the Grid," Beck insisted. "I'm fighting for _you_ too."

Mira forced back the urge to gag at that. She knew at that point that convincing Paige was nearly impossible. Beck tried his best to show her that there was another way. But Paige's stubbornness would always put the occupation first.

"Then you've already lost," Paige retorted.

Mira watched as Paige jumped down from the arch and made a run for it. There was no point in arguing – Paige's mind was already made up. The awkward silence that followed only made the situation worse. Mira shot a glare in the direction Paige had run. She had known all along that Paige couldn't be trusted. And of course Beck was too stupid to realize that.

She rezzed her light jet and flew away before Beck could say anything that would make things even more awkward. Flying away was her way of getting time alone. And after what Paige had said, she felt even angrier than before. This whole mess could have been avoided if Beck had listened to her or to Tron. Instead, he'd tried following his heart rather than listening to logic. That was what left her feeling so angry. She landed on the streets of Argon City and turned her light jet back into a baton just as Beck landed nearby.

"That went well," she muttered sarcastically.

Her mask receded and she glanced at Beck, whose own mask receded. The look of defeat written across his face was obvious as he refused to make eye contact with her.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say.

Mira rose an eyebrow in annoyance at that.

"'I'm sorry'? Was that your attempt at apologizing?" she asked after clearing her throat.

"I'm sorry for being a bitbrained jerk, okay?" Programs were starting to look in their direction as Beck started shouting. Mira tilted her head to one side in amusement – she could have stopped him right there, but he really deserved those looks. Maybe that would teach him a lesson about listening to others rather than taking matters into his own hands. "I wasn't thinking, and it got all of us into trouble."

"Well, it's a start," she replied with a shrug before slugging him in the arm. "So, what now?"

"I guess we go back," Beck sighed. He was hardly surprised with her reaction, and he had been bracing himself for it. Considering the way things had gone this cycle, he was surprised she hadn't been angrier. "I was supposed to meet her at the same spot we were arrested at."

"And that would be?"

Mira rose an eyebrow as Beck turned to glare. She simply shook her head and rezzed her light cycle as soon as he rezzed his. Beck was taking the blow a little too seriously. Mira had a feeling that it would take time for him to recover.

Beck was leading her to a building near Argon Square. Mira tilted her head to one side when she saw pool tables inside. She got off of her light cycle to see that there were several programs inside. They were either playing a game of pool or chatting. She put on her own disguise before stepping into the light.

She watched carefully as Beck grabbed a staff to use for the game. The balls were little bits of energy that disappeared when they smacked into one another. Mira leaned against the wall while Beck distracted himself with a game of pool. It seemed like cycles had passed before Paige wandered into the room. Programs looked up in surprise when the commander stood near Beck.

"You made it!" Beck exclaimed after knocking aside another ball. "I was afraid you'd be a no-show."

"I got my job back," Paige said when Mira straightened up. Mira didn't miss the way she was glaring at her. She returned the glare, noting how the commander managed to keep her cool despite the awkward situation they were in. "Don't worry, I made sure the guards wouldn't come after you." What she said next only made Mira wish she could have slapped her senseless. "Look, because I listened to you, I got distracted." Paige suddenly stopped Beck from getting any closer. She avoided his gaze and kept glaring at Mira. Mira tried not to glare back, but it was becoming unnerving. "And I can't keep this up. I'm sorry, but I can't see you again."

Paige finally looked Beck in the eye before leaving the room. Beck simply stared after Paige in disbelief when she disappeared. Despite how angry Mira was for Beck now listening to her, she felt sorry for him. The fact that Paige had left him standing there with little to know hope of joining the resistance only made things worse. It was than that she remembered what Tron had said a few cycles ago.

"There are always going to be losses," she said under her breath.

"What?" Beck turned to look at her, but she refused to meet his gaze.

"Nothing." Mira finally looked up, and she saw nothing but confusion in Beck's eyes. She refused to make eye contact when she finally dropped her shoulders and started heading for the nearest exit. "I should get back before curfew starts."

She paused for a moment and glanced around to see that the programs around them had been watching. A few threw Beck cautious looks before returning to their games. Beck was still staring blankly at nothing, and for a moment Mira wondered if something was wrong.

With a final look at Beck she made her way out of the room and rezzed her light cycle. She kept an eye on the path ahead as she made her way back to the safehouse.

Mira did a double take when she realized that someone was following her as she swerved in and out of the traffic. She moved towards the right of the road just in time to see that Beck was following her. Mira held back a sigh of frustration as she pulled forward. She was in no mood to talk, not after watching the way Beck had reacted to Paige's rejection.

Beck wasn't planning on stopping though, and Mira could see that as they reached the Outlands. Recognizers were becoming more numerous now when she pulled on the breaks long enough for him to catch up.

"What?" she demanded when he pulled in beside her.

"Look, I know I messed up," he replied. "I only just realized that you and Tron were right."

"When I told him what happened to Keller he said there would always be losses," Mira admitted as they reached the safehouse.

"Guess I should've listened to him," Beck sighed.

He looked up at the sky as more Recognizers began flying towards the city. They were looking for strays or programs who were out after curfew. She wasn't in any hurry to get caught after all of that. And she wasn't in any hurry to let him be captured for his stupid mistakes.

"You should… go back before they catch you."

Mira couldn't help but look away as she said that. Her thoughts were churning with anger, disappointment and something else. Some part of her had felt angry that Beck had gone out with Paige on his own earlier. But she knew that it was foolish to hold on to those feelings.

Beck gave her a final look before nodding in agreement. She watched as he sped off on his light cycle once more. This was one defeat that would take time to get over. And Mira knew that Paige wouldn't forget it anytime soon either.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Something wasn't right. Mira knew from the moment she had walked down the stairs that something was wrong.

Tron was in the healing chamber when she saw a security alarm blinking on the screen he was always watching. Mira raised an eyebrow before hesitantly touching the screen. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw an image play out.

The Renegade was attacking a shopkeeper. Beck, the one program that was afraid to derezz, was killing a shopkeeper. Mira's heart began racing as he terrorized the female program that had been protecting her boss. The Renegade was hovering above the female program, hidden mask just inches form her face.

"Tell them what I did."

Mira blinked in surprise when she realized that his voice was disguised. The female program watched in horror as the renegade walked away. Mira cringed when an explosion followed shortly after his disappearance. As the cloud of smoke and fire filled the screen, it suddenly went black.

Mira whipped around when she realized that Tron was just emerging from the healing chamber. Rinzler had run down the stairs to find out what the noise was about.

"What happened?" Tron demanded when he noticed how shaken she was.

"N-Nothing happened," Mira stammered.

She looked over her shoulder, back at the blank screen.

 _That couldn't have been Beck_ , she tried to reassure herself. _He wouldn't do something so heartless_.

"You're hiding something." Tron crossed his arms and glared at her accusingly.

Mira bit the bottom of her lip when she thought of what to say. She knew that she should have told him what happened. But she needed to know first hand whether it was Beck behind the mask or some other program. If her theory was correct, then he wouldn't have anything to hide. It was just a matter of confronting him over the problem.

Suddenly she remembered the program that Beck had come across cycles ago. A mad program that was bent on the destruction of the Grid. A program that might have followed Beck out of his prison. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought. She should have known that the program in question would manage to slip through the prison that was designed to keep him from causing potential damage. Now they had an entirely new and dangerous problem at hand.

"I promised Beck I'd meet him at the garage," she lied after shaking the uneasy feeling off.

If her theory was right, this program would likely go after Beck and anyone he was close to.

"You shouldn't go out there alone," Tron snapped as if he'd read her thoughts. Mira rolled her eyes and glared at him defiantly. She knew that she could take care of herself, especially when she was on her own. And Tron knew it too. "Fine, just be careful," Tron sighed when he realized that she wouldn't waver.

"I'll be back soon," she promised as she reached for her light cycle baton. Rinzler rubbed against her foot before looking at her longingly. "You'd better stay here," she told the kitten.

Rinzler gave her a longing look before he sat down. Tron eyed the kitten warily before shaking his head. Mira smirked before she left them. She knew that Rinzler would keep Tron busy while she was gone. And hopefully Rinzler would keep him distracted long enough for her to figure out what the heck was happening.

She rezzed her light cycle as soon as she was outside. The shop had been close to the energy plant. Mira remembered the location well after watching Tron nearly derezz Dyson. The scene didn't bring back happy memories. As she remembered the look Tron had given Dyson, her fists clenched.

Mira pulled to a halt when she reached the explosion sight. Programs were gathered around, watching curiously as the medics arrived. Mira's eyes widened in alarm when she saw a medic with Mara. She was placed on a stretcher while the medic looked her over. Beck and Zed were with her, expressions full of horror as she told them what happened. She quickly put on her disguise after realizing she hadn't yet.

Once that was finished, she turned her light cycle back into a baton and stood up. Mara winced in pain as a piece of metal, or what ever was used to create a building, was pulled out of her leg. Mira couldn't help but grin when Zed fainted on the ground. While Beck helped his friend up, Mira pushed her way through the crowd until she was close enough to see the extent of the damage.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw that half of the building had been taken out by the explosion. Any programs that were in the shop would have died from the explosion.

 _"User_."

The word was said in such a scathing tone that it made her skin crawl with shock. Mira whirled around to see who had said it, only to find a bunch of programs stare at her as if she had lost her mind. Holding back a sigh of relief, she noticed a hooded program standing in the back of the crowd.

Beck had noticed the program standing in the back of the crowd as well. Mira stiffened when she realized that he was watching her, and than the program standing nearby. His eyes widened in horror and recognition. Without warning he dropped Zed and ran towards the crowd, only to be blocked by a medic truck.

Mira whirled around to see that the program had made a run for it. She glanced over her shoulder before running after the program. Her mind was churning with anxiety and other emotions as she avoided light cycles and trucks that were leaving from or returning to work. If it was the program she suspected, she knew that he needed to be stopped before he caused further damage. Though she had a feeling that would be easier said than done.

The program had led her to a building near the edge of the city. She didn't need to look over her shoulder to know that Beck had followed. Her fists were clenched as she pushed open the door after climbing several flights of stairs.

"I know you're out here!" she shouted when she reached the top of the building.

She spotted the program heading for the fire escape. The program in question stopped for just a moment, and Mira felt her blood run cold when he started speaking.

"I knew Clu was keeping secrets from everyone… I just didn't know how juicy those secrets were," he said in a voice that sounded like he had too many energy drinks. Long white lines stretched along his face and arms. The cloak came off, and Mira realized that most of his body was covered in the white circuits. She had never seen such an appearance before, and she doubted that he was safe. "A User doesn't belong on the Grid, _especially_ a User as _weak_ as _you_."

She flinched under his piercing glare. It had been a long time since someone had said that to her. And despite everything she had accomplished over the cycles, she couldn't help but wonder if they were true. She would have never become the User she was now without help.

"And you're just as insane as I imagined," she snapped, resisting the urge to spit at him.

The program only smirked and drew his disk before activating it. After hearing rumors about a program going insane just xilacycles before she arrived in Argon, she was hardly surprised to see that those rumors had been true. Cyrus really was as insane as she anticipated.

"I imagine Clu's punishment for your very existence is far worse than anything I could have ever dealt," he sneered. "But still, it would be entertaining to watch you suffer." Each word was like a piercing reminder of what Clu had done to her. "You're just as persistent as I remember," he added while eyeing her calmly. Her eyes widened in alarm when she realized that Beck was standing nearby, disk drawn and activated. "Hate to say it _renegade_ , but you're fighting a losing battle."

"Just what exactly do you hope to accomplish by terrorizing everyone on the Grid?" Mira demanded, her voice shaken with dread.

"Let's just say I'm giving the renegade a new image," he sneered.

The program chose that moment to disappear into the shadows. Mira ran after him to realize that he had jumped down the fire escapes. By the time she reached them, he was already long gone. She looked over her shoulder to where Beck was standing, his expression grim as he joined her.

"That was Cyrus, wasn't it?" she asked in a low whisper.

"We need to get back to the garage," Beck said after recovering from the shock.

Mira glanced at him nervously before nodding in agreement. If anyone knew about the extra disk Beck had used, it was Able. He would know whether or not Cyrus had taken the disk.

She followed Beck down the fire escape and they raced back towards the garage on their light cycles. She held her breath when they reached the garage. Programs were gathered outside as if nothing had happened.

New images of the renegade began appearing around them. Mira's fist clenched against the handle bars when she heard a voice shouting that the renegade was deemed a dangerous program, and that anyone that knew something should report it.

Beck made his way towards the locker room, oblivious to the programs around him. Mira recognized a few of them – Link and Copper were around, and Dash was standing nearby. But they weren't important at the moment. Mira had to run after Beck in order to keep up.

"It's still here," Beck sighed when he grabbed the second disk.

Mira tilted her head to one side in confusion. From what she recalled, Cyrus allowed other programs to do the dirty work for him. In some ways, he was like Pavel and Tesler. That thought alone sent a shiver through Mira as she wondered what Cyrus was playing at, and how he managed to find a disguise similar to Beck's.

"But if your disk is still here than—" She was cut off by Able's approach.

"Mira, Beck, is something wrong?" Able asked when he eyed them calmly.

"It's nothing," Beck replied after hiding the disk.

Able raised an eyebrow and looked at Beck seriously.

"You sure you wanna go with that?"

Mira frowned at his remark. After her encounter with Cyrus, she was still shaken. It was obvious that what he had said brought back painful reminders of her past that she would have rather kept buried. The last thing she wanted was to dig deeper into the scars that Clu had left her both mentally and physically.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Beck sounded more anxious than anything else.

Cyrus was even crazier than Mira expected. The fact that he had gone out of his way to hurt programs just for his own enjoyment made her feel sick. He would have done the same thing to her had Beck not showed up. That much she was certain of.

"Something just doesn't seem right about this," she said when they were far enough away.

"What do you mean?" Beck asked the question warily.

"I mean, why would I see Cyrus in the same white suit that you use, and the disk would still be in place?" Mira tilted her head to one side as she tried to understand it all. "I thought Tron was the only one who had a secondary disk?"

Beck stared at her as if the question made no sense at all. Without warning he placed the disk on his own. What happened next sent a jolt of electricity through him, and Mira had to pry the disk off before it could cause any further damage.

"What in the Users name was that?" she demanded when she pulled the disks apart.

The code inside was different. Sparks of energy erupted when she touched it. Beck grabbed his own disk before glaring at the disk in her hand.

"Cyrus gave me a counterfeit disk," he replied in an accusing tone. "Looks like you were right… again."

Mira let out a sigh of frustration as she studied the disk carefully. The code inside was more complex than she realized. Hopefully Tron would be able to figure out what the heck Cyrus had done to it. The disk itself was rigged to destroy any program that was wearing it.

She followed Beck back to the safehouse, hoping that Cyrus didn't follow them. The psychotic program could have followed them at any time if he really wanted to. But obviously he was biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike.

She wasn't surprised to see Tron waiting for them when Beck led the way in. Rinzler sat beside Tron, washing his paw as though nothing had happened. Mira almost wished she could share his carefree attitude. She longed for the days when life wasn't this crazy.

"I found this at the bottom of my locker," Beck explained in an angry tone.

He grabbed the counterfeit disk and handed it to Tron, who studied the disk carefully. A containment module appeared from the floor and the disk was placed inside, studying whatever codes Cyrus had put on the disk.

"You lied to me."

Beck crossed his arms and glared at Tron when he turned to face him. Mira stood beside Rinzler as he watched the two argue. The kitten seemed oblivious to the sudden tension building between the three of them, and Mira suddenly wished that she was more like him at that moment. She didn't want to be apart of this, especially as she saw how angry Beck was with Tron.

"No, it seems _you_ lied to me," Tron snapped when he grabbed Beck by the wrist. "For all I knew Cyrus was locked away in his prison."

"Don't pin this on me!" Beck pulled his wrist away.

Mira held her breath as she thought of how stupid this all was.

Cyrus was a threat to the Grid, and the two programs that _should_ be stopping him were arguing.

"If you would stop acting like bitbrains, maybe we could actually stop Cyrus from destroying the entire Grid!" she snapped above their arguing, earning looks of surprise from them both.

"You didn't tell me about Cyrus," Beck continued his argument, anger seething in his voice as he glared at Tron. "Your lies have put my friends' lives in danger."

"Beck, don't do anything stupid." Tron met his gaze, and Beck refused to waver his expression.

"I'm done." Beck took a step back. "I've got your mess to fix."

Mira rolled her eyes once Beck had left. Typical Beck, always thinking of his friends over his own life. Mira glanced back at the counterfeit disk, and another feeling of unease crawled up her skin. Something told her that the disk was far from finished.

"Follow him," Tron suddenly said. Mira glanced at Tron in surprise, but she noticed how haunted his expression was. Cyrus must have brought up bad memories of Clu's betrayal. "Beck is going to need backup if he does come across Cyrus again."

She gave him one last cautious glance before nodding. She looked back at Rinzler, who had watched from behind the screen Tron normally kept an eye on.

"You stay upstairs," she told him. Rinzler's ears pricked forward to show that he'd heard. Within nanocycles he'd run up the stairs and seemed to listen for a change. Mira smiled before she looked back at Tron. "With any luck we won't come across Cyrus again," she murmured.

Tron didn't seem to notice. He was looking off to the distance, as if deep in thought. Mira rolled her eyes once more before running out of the safehouse. She hoped and prayed that Beck didn't do anything risky with Cyrus on the run. The last thing she could handle was watching him suffer another loss.

…

She was able to catch up with Beck before he got much further. He was headed for the city, away from the Outlands and the trouble Cyrus had caused. The problem with Cyrus was, that was just what he wanted. Angering Beck was part of the program's plan, as far as Mira could tell. She had already put on a disguise before any program would recognize her from the first time she was at the garage.

Beck looked over his shoulder to see that Mira was following him at a steady pace. Her eyes were focused on the road ahead as she thought of what would happen next.

"You shouldn't have followed me," he snapped when she pulled in beside him.

"And you shouldn't have quit," Mira retorted. "This is just what Cyrus wants."

Beck looked at her in surprise before rolling his eyes and speeding ahead. Mira glared at him before following. She was far from finished – Beck needed to understand what kind of danger he was in. A shudder ran through her as she remembered the way Cyrus had spoken to her. He wouldn't give her a second chance the next time they met. She had no doubt that Cyrus wouldn't hesitate to try and kill her if he was given the chance.

"Look, I just can't trust him after what happened," Beck said after they reached the city.

"I can't trust him either, but I'm still living with the guy." Mira pulled on the breaks as soon as Beck turned his light cycle back into a baton. "I know that he has his reasons for keeping secrets… heck, even _you_ keep secrets."

Beck flinched when she pointed that out. She didn't point out the fact that she knew that Quorra was an ISO. Beck didn't need to know about that, and it felt like she would betray Quorra if she told anyone other than Tron. One of the many reasons she hadn't told anyone was because of how much Clu had poisoned everyone's minds on ISOs. Users weren't the only ones who suffered because of Clu's tyranny, and she knew the cost of giving anyone away.

"That's different." He was trying to reassure himself, and Mira resisted the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Yeah, of course it's different," she muttered under her breath.

Mira finally rolled her eyes when Beck headed for the garage. Cyrus had put him on the edge, and that made life dangerous. Mira's fists clenched in anger as she imagined how amused Cyrus would feel if he saw how panicked they looked now.

She followed Beck until they reached the entrance of the garage. Link was working outside, cleaning up scraps of codes. Mira smirked when jumped after Beck approached him.

"Link, have you seen Mara and Zed anywhere?" he asked warily.

"They were headed to the club," the shaky program replied.

He went back to cleaning up the scraps of code left behind by careless coworkers. Mira gave him a quick glance before running after Beck. Programs jumped out of the way as they pushed their way through the crowded streets.

Mira could hear music blasting when they reached the club. She held her breath as she followed Beck into the club, unsure of what they would find inside.

She blinked in surprise when she spotted Mara and Zed. Both programs were waiting near the entrance of the club, and Mira was certain she could see someone sitting nearby watching them.

"Beck, over here!" Beck sighed in relief when he spotted his friends.

"Let's go somewhere else, I need to clear my head," he muttered when her reached them.

"Then it's true," Mara whispered. Mira raised an eyebrow while Beck stared at Mara in surprise. "I'm sorry, but your secret is out."

Mira stared at her in disbelief while Zed approached them. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she recognized Cyrus.

"Beck, so this is where you've been sneaking off to," Zed exclaimed when he reached them. Mira folded his arms and glared at Cyrus as he eyed them coolly. "I'd quit too if it meant hanging out with this guy more often!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Beck muttered as he followed them to a booth.

Mira rolled her eyes as she joined them.

Cyrus seemed perfectly at home as he sat beside Zed. Mara and Beck sat beside each other while Mira stood nearby, keeping a close eye on them. She knew that Cyrus would look for any signs of weakness. He was biding his time, and any wrong move would give him the chance to announce where Beck was really off to on his breaks.

The music was too loud for her to make out the rest of their conversation. Beck kept shooting her an anxious look while she could feel Cyrus' gaze boring through her. Something told her he had something other than the enjoyment of conversation on his mind.

It seemed like cycles had passed before Mara finally pulled Zed out to dance with her. Another song was playing at the time, one that became familiar to Mira. Once the two were far enough away she joined Beck and sat beside him, eager to find out what had happened.

"Your friends are really something." Cyrus was acting as though nothing had happened. Mira raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I'll tell you something, that Zed rubs me the wrong way, but Mara… I'm beginning to like her… a lot."

"You leave them out of this," Beck snapped. "Now give me back my disk!"

"I wonder what your friends would say if they knew you were the Renegade… the Renegade who fights for Users… or maybe he doesn't. Maybe the Renegade doesn't know just how weak and powerless Users are," he sneered, casting a glare in Mira's direction. She returned the glare, knowing full-well how insane this program was. His statement was enough for Beck to flinch as realization dawned on him, and he couldn't help but glance at Mira warily as he tried reaching for the disk. She was beginning to wonder if he had been thinking of what Cyrus said. The thought left her stomach churning with anxiety, especially when she knew that in a way, Cyrus was right. "Wait, I'm not finished with it."

Cyrus suddenly grabbed the disk just as Beck reached for it.

"You're using the disk for the wrong reasons, Cy," Mira muttered when they started a bout of tug-a-war.

"Am I now?" Cyrus slammed the disk into the table. "What's the matter, Renegade? Why don't you punch me?"

Beck glared at Cyrus as he taunted him.

 _I'm seriously considering it now_ , Mira thought when Cyrus goaded Beck on.

"Oh, how stupid of me," Cyrus finally said as he leaned back. "You won't attack me, not with everyone watching." Mira glared at Cyrus coldly as he looked at Beck calmly. "That's your problem, you don't derezz programs. But I'm going to fix that for you."

Mira stiffened at the thought of derezzing any program. She had already seen too many programs get derezzed because of Clu's army. And Beck hated the idea of derezzing anyone simply because he'd watched his own friend derezz.

"What do you mean?" Beck was glaring at Cyrus now, trying to hold back his anger and frustration.

"I've got it from a good source that the _new_ Renegade's next target's to be delivered to Able's garage. Get there in time, and you can stop it."

Mira felt a shiver run down her spine at the mention of the 'new Renegade'. She knew that Cyrus meant what he said.

"You forget; I've been to your little prison." Mira rolled her eyes and wondered just how stupid Beck really was.

"Beck, from one comrade to the other, sometimes a bomb is just a bomb."

Mira exchanged a startled look with Beck before slipping out of the booth. There was no time to waste - if what she thought was true than Cyrus was right. As much as she hated admitting it, he had a good point. They needed to warn everyone at the garage before the bomb detonated.

She followed Beck out of the club and rezzed her light cycle. She could imagine the cruel smirk on Cyrus's face as they left the club. This was exactly what he wanted. And now he had put the lives of countless programs in danger.

They reached the garage in no time, riding on in silence as they avoided the traffic like always. Beck jumped off of his light cycle without turning it back into a baton, while Mira wasted no time in turning hers back into a baton. The programs inside the garage looked up in surprise when Beck ran over to Able.

"Get everyone out of here, there's a bomb inside!" Beck shouted when he got everyone's attention.

"A bomb? Beck, are you sure?" Able stared at Beck in disbelief.

Mira wasn't focusing on them. She looked back at Beck's light cycle and realized that something was wrong. A beeping noise had started, and she recognized the sound anywhere.

"Get down!" she cried when the bomb reached critical.

She jumped down just as the bomb exploded, causing the floor where the light cycle lay to cave in. Mira whirled around to see that the light cycle was destroyed, along with half of the floor. Remains of the bomb could be made out nearby, and she scowled when she realized that Cyrus had used them.

 _We delivered the bomb for him_ , she thought disdainfully.

Able made a quick recovery and grabbed the fragments of bomb. He looked up at Beck and Mira before shaking his head doubtfully.

"My office, now," he ordered in a stern voice.

Mira looked at Beck in confusion. He simply shrugged and followed Able as programs began cleaning up the mess the bomb had left. Able wasted no time in studying the bomb fragments, eyes narrowed in concern when he found what he was looking for. Beck sat on the desk while Mira leaned against the wall, unsure of what to do next.

"You wanna explain to me how this happened?" Able demanded when he was finished.

"I ran into an old friend of Tron's," Beck explained. "Turns out he was bent on destroying the Grid, and everyone on it."

"Cyrus is a creature of habit," Able said after realizing who Beck was referring to. "If we dig deep enough, we'll find that most of the material he uses is from scraps of codes. You know you should've told me about him sooner."

"I didn't want you getting involved."

Mira stared down at the floor as she wondered if Beck knew that he sounded just like Tron. It was something that Tron would've done to keep them safe. Even if it meant keeping them from the truth.

"Just like Tron didn't tell you about Cyrus." Beck looked away in annoyance. "He was trying to protect you!"

"Yeah, well, it seemed different at the time," Beck muttered. "Which is why I quit."

"Quit? You can't quit, not when you're in it this deep."

Mira looked at Able in surprise. This was coming from the same program that had tried keeping Beck from training with Tron a few cycles ago.

"He lied to me, and put our lives in danger," Beck snapped.

"Cyrus could've sent you anywhere. He barely had to lift a finger, he let you deliver the bomb for him."

Mira's eyes widened when she realized what that meant. Horror crawled down her spine when she thought of the disk Beck had given Tron. A disk that had a virus contained within.

"The counterfeit disk!" Beck must have read her thoughts.

He jumped down and stared at Able in shock.

Mira followed Beck out of the garage as he grabbed another baton, ignoring Able's questions of what that meant. Now Mira understood what Cyrus was really after. Her heart was beating rapidly as she sped off towards the Outlands, aware that Beck and Able were following.

Once she crossed the bridge she wasted no time in reaching the safehouse. Two thoughts had crossed her mind when she thought of Cyrus and his plans. One was that Tron was in danger, and another was that Rinzler would likely have been derezzed as well.

 _It's important that we get to Tron first_ , she reminded herself when they reached the garage.

An eerie feeling had suddenly taken over when Mira led the way to the room Tron was usually in. The room was dark. The counterfeit disk must have cut off any power in the safehouse. Mira glanced around warily until she found the disk that had caused all of this trouble. Beck and Able followed her as a static noise erupted from the eerie silence.

"I knew you'd come, renegade." The crackled voice was coming from the disk. Mira's eyes narrowed when she realized that Cyrus had used a holographic recording. "So, let the games begin."

An image of Cyrus's face appeared on the hologram, and Mira's fists clenched as she glared at it.

"We don't have to play your games," Beck snapped when he stood beside her.

Able stood on her other side, watching the hologram curiously.

"No, it's the only game you can play," Cyrus corrected himself. "How sad, that even my holographic recording knows what you're about to say. Our beloved mentor, Tron, believes in a free system. But there's just one problem. We're programs, _programs_. We were meant to follow rules and directives. But I am about to change that." Mira glared at the screen as she wondered what Cyrus meant by that. "I'm giving you the chance to choose which lives are more important to you: Renegade, or mechanic."

Mira stared at the screen in horror when an image of Tron, Mara and Zed tied up appeared across the holoscreen. She knew Cyrus wasn't above killing innocent programs. And of course, he was using Beck's friendship towards Mara and Zed against him.

"On one end of the city, Tron, is strapped to a bomb. On the other end, your friends are being kept in a crane by the docks. This key will free them, but there is only one." Mira's fists clenched as she thought of what they could do to stop Cyrus's plan. "Either way, someone is going to die."

His last words sent chills down Mira's spine. Beck grabbed the key and tossed it to Able.

"Go and free Mara and Zed, I'll help Tron," he ordered. "And you stay here."

Mira only glared at him defiantly.

"Do you really want to say that now?" she demanded crossly.

"Fine, just stay safe," he muttered before following Able out of the safehouse.

"You too," she whispered once he'd left.

If it came to a fight she would be more than happy to punch some circuits out of Cyrus. Maybe even knock some sense back into his programming.

Able headed off towards the docks, while Mira followed Beck towards the other side of the city. They were moving at an impossible speed, but time was against them. Programs jumped out of the way as they sped through the streets, until they reached their destination.

 _Why does this feel like a trap_? Mira wondered when she spotted Tron. Bombs were strapped around him, and as usual he was struggling to free himself.

"Hold on."

Beck approached the bombs warily. Mira held her breath as she waited for the explosions that would likely follow.

"Beck, get this off of me, and we may still have time to save your friends," Tron said as soon as Beck reached for the tool Bodhi had designed.

"Don't worry, they're being taken care of," Mira reassured him when she joined them.

Tron looked like he was ready to argue, and Mira glared at him defiantly. She knew that he was only trying to get her away from the crossfire. Cyrus would likely threaten her life, but after what he did to Tron and Beck's friends, she wasn't about to let the program get away with it.

Within nanocycles Beck had the bomb disengaged. Mira let out a sigh of relief when Tron dropped the scraps and stood up.

"Thanks," he muttered after shaking it off.

"Don't thank me. I couldn't have done this without Bodhi," Beck replied. "Now let's go."

He glanced around nervously before Mira followed them.

"Going somewhere?" Mira stiffened when she heard the familiar voice. She whirled around to see Cyrus standing on the other side of the alley. "How predictable. You'd choose him over your friends."

"If you've done anything to hurt them—"

Beck tried fighting back when Cyrus punched him across the street. Mira caught him just before he fell on his back.

"Finally, some fire! You killed them when you chose to save Tron!" Cyrus looked at the bomb, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "Where's the key?" Mira raised an eyebrow when Beck recovered and glared. "Oh, how brilliant. You sent someone else with the key, didn't you?"

"Admit it Cyrus, you've failed!" Tron snapped.

"No, you have no idea what you've done." Beck tried fighting back by throwing in a few punches, but Cyrus easily dodged them and tossed him aside carelessly. "Look at how panicked he is! All because he's failed you!"

"No, _you're_ my greatest failure." Tron's words sent chills down Mira's spine.

 _Okay, we're done here_ , she thought after activating her light sword. Cyrus was too busy smirking at Tron and Beck to notice her fast approach. Mira used his distraction as an opportunity to swing her light sword right across his chest. The force of her swing left such an impact that he staggered and coughed in surprise.

"You're just as sadistic as Clu, if not worse!" she spat while swinging her light sword again.

This time, Cyrus was prepared, and he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and held her up.

"It's good to see a little, worthless _User_ actually has some fight in her," he sneered before throwing her. Mira let out a cry of shock from the force of his throw. She collided straight into Beck before Tron started fighting against Cyrus. "I don't even understand why you've taken pity on that User. It's obvious she won't ever amount to anything much."

Mira's heart was racing with dread when Tron managed to pin Cyrus to the ground.

"Go! Help Able!" he shouted when Cyrus began struggling.

Mira was about to argue when Beck grabbed her by the wrist. She let out a yelp of surprise before rezzing her light cycle. Within nanocycles she had changed her suit to match her renegade attire. Beck had already gone ahead, but she easily caught up.

"Isn't there a faster way to the docks?" she asked when she fell in beside him.

"This _is_ the fastest way," Beck replied.

She glared at the path ahead when she realized that he was right. Any other way would have gotten them stuck in traffic. Anxiety churned through Mira as she thought of Able, Mara and Zed. All three of them were in danger, and it was Cyrus's fault. No, as much as she hated to admit it, it was Tron's fault.

 _He's the one who trained Cyrus, and look where it's gotten him_. She tried not to think about it when they reached the docks. Programs were scattered around the area. Mira watched them carefully just as an explosion shook the city.

"No!" Mira held her breath when she saw the crane that Mara and Zed were being held in fall. Beck had jumped off of his light cycle just in time to watch it crash into the water below. Her hands were still trembling when she stood beside him.

She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Zed helping Mara out of the sea. Both programs were drenched, and Mara was struggling for breath when Beck ran towards them.

"You're safe," he whispered.

"They killed Able." Mira's heart nearly skipped a beat when she heard those haunting words. "They killed Able!"

"No, it can't be true." Mira bit her lip when Beck took a step back in shock.

"There they are! The Renegades did this!" The program that Cyrus had attacked was glaring at Beck.

Programs were beginning to gather around to see if Mara and Zed were alright. Mira turned to glare at them.

"Get out of here, we don't need you!" one program shouted.

"Yeah, you've been nothing but trouble!" another added.

For Mira, their words couldn't feel more true than they did now. Her heart felt like it was heavy with grief as she realized Able really was gone. Programs were still glaring at her as she left on her light cycle, unable to meet their piercing gazes.

What Cyrus had said stung the most. She hated to admit that he was right. Programs were designed to perform tasks that they were gifted at. She, on the other hand, couldn't amount to much during her early days on the Grid.

 _Bodhi was derezzed because I went to the garage_. _The city was taken over because I decided to get my light cycle fixed_. _And now Able's gone because I fought back_.

She couldn't fight back the tears that were beginning to fall. She was thankful she had a mask on. She wasn't sure what Beck would think if he saw her now.

Tron was waiting for them at the entrance of the safehouse. Mira blinked in surprise when she saw Rinzler sitting beside him. The kitten looked unharmed after everything that had happened. At least he was smart enough to stay away from the fight.

Rinzler bounded up to greet her the moment she arrived. She was relieved he hadn't received any injuries when Cyrus was there. He jumped into her arms and nuzzled her affectionately, almost as if he knew that something was wrong.

"Able's gone. Your friends are against you. And it's only going to get worse." Mira stared at Tron in disbelief. His voice was so… cold. Yet she could see how badly wounded he was after the fight against Cyrus, and learning about Able's death.

"I know." Beck stood up, mask receded as he met Tron's determined gaze. His mask suddenly came back on, and Mira knew that he too was hiding the pain that he felt over Able's loss. "And I'm ready."


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**Chapter Twenty Four**

" _Look I sit back and I watch it, hands in my pockets Waves come crashing over me but I just watch 'em I just watch 'em, I'm under water but I feel like, I'm on top of it I'm at the bottom and I don't know what the problem is I'm in a box, But I'm the one who locked me in Suffocating and I'm running out of oxygen..." -_ Paralyzed, NF

* * *

"Users don't belong on the Grid. Especially Users as incompetent as yourself." Those words had hit her like a ton of bricks as Cyrus glared down at her. She had never felt more vulnerable as she realized he was on the offensive. "You think those programs would ever look at you as anything more than helpful? They would betray you, turn you in. But I guess you've forgotten what betrayal is like."

That stung. Mira couldn't help but flinch as she realized that Cyrus was right. She knew that no matter how hard she fought back, no matter how much she had proven herself over the cycles, programs would never accept her. Even if she had saved their lives, they would still turn her in, all because she was a User. A shiver of dread swept through her at the thought. She would never fully belong on the Grid, and it suddenly left her realizing that she was more alone now than she had ever been.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed, unable to hold in her anger and frustration any longer.

That only seemed to fuel the look of amusement written across Cyrus' face. She managed to kick him off and reached for her disk when he suddenly grabbed hold of her wrist with a hard grip. As much as she wanted to deny it, he would derezz her in a heartbeat if he was given the chance. He was stronger than she would ever be. He was cynical and psychotic. He would take whatever advantage he had over another program and use it against them.

"I'm not going to leave you alone until I'm finished breaking you," Cyrus sneered after reaching for her neck.

His grip only tightened as she struggled to free herself. It seemed like each time she tried to free herself, he only became stronger. His laugh was the worst part of it all – this was worse than being held captive in the coliseum. She wanted nothing more than the horrible nightmare in front of her to end. She would have thought for sure that by now, she was used to dealing with them. But facing Cyrus all over again left her feeling helplessly numb.

"There's just one problem with your plan," she managed to choke out before finally using all of her strength to free herself. One good kick was all it took for Cyrus to release his grip, and he staggered back in surprise from the impact. "I'm already broken!"

Cyrus looked like he was ready to say something else when a new voice spoke up.

"Mira!" The voice was distant, but loud enough for Cyrus to fade away like he was nothing. Someone was shaking her shoulders. Instinct kicked in, and faster than she thought possible, she had reached for her disk and activated it. One blink was all it took for Mira to find herself back in the safehouse. Her eyes widened in alarm as she realized she had raised her disk to Tron, who'd taken a step back until she deactivated her disk. "What happened?" he asked once the initial shock had cleared.

"It was… nothing," she retorted.

She tried to hide the shame of feeling so helpless and afraid. Able's death had left her feeling shaken. Tron was fully aware of that as he realized something bigger was happening. He rose an eyebrow and looked at her skeptically.

After everything she went through, he fully expected her to suffer from nightmares. No User should have ever gone through what she suffered from, even before they met. She couldn't help but look down at the floor when she felt his gaze searching her thoroughly. He was expecting her to be honest with him. But after what had happened, honesty was the last thing on her mind. She just wanted nothing more than to be alone and suffer in silence.

"Do you really want to go with that?" he asked. He crossed his arms over his chest as Rinzler reached her side and mewled in concern. "From what I heard, that was more than _nothing_."

"It was nothing," she repeated herself.

The only thing she could do now was narrow her eyes and steady her already ragged breathing. She doubted programs would understand what it meant to suffer from nightmares. Lately, that was all she seemed to suffer from. That fight with Cyrus, and Able's death were nothing more than painful reminders of the fact that she couldn't fight not only for herself, but for programs as well.

Tron finally let out a sigh of frustration when he realized she wouldn't tell him anything else. She held back a sigh of relief once he was gone. If she stayed any longer, she knew that sooner or later, she would have to explain what had happened. He was concerned about how Cyrus' attack had effected her. She understood why he was so concerned, but she didn't want his sympathy or his protection. She just wanted her life to return to normal, before they met.

Mira looked down at Rinzler, suddenly wishing that the fight against Cyrus had never happened. Maybe, things would have remained relatively normal if he hadn't shown up. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that none of this would have happened had she never gone to Argon.

Beck wouldn't have lost Bodhi or Able. Tesler would have probably left the city unchanged. Because of her, programs had suffered the worst hit from the Occupation. Her fists clenched with anger at the cold realization. She was nothing more than a waste of space. Rinzler let out another worried mewl when he noticed something was wrong. He nudged her open hand gently as her arms fell to their sides.

"I have to go," she suddenly whispered. Rinzler only blinked at her in confusion. "It's the only way… they're better off without me."

Rinzler hopped onto her shoulder before she stood up. The look in his eyes told her he was already aware of what she planned to do.

 _Don't leave, not yet_ , they seemed to tell her.

Shaking her head at the thought, she headed down the stairs that would eventually lead to the garage. To her surprise, and relief, Tron wasn't around. He must have returned to the healing chamber. She didn't blame him for that – it was more likely that she had interrupted his sleep cycle. After suffering from the fight Cyrus had inflicted upon them, he needed the healing chamber now more than ever. Not to mention, Able was the one who had provided whatever substance was needed for said healing chamber. Now, there was no telling how Tron would be able to hold back the damage caused by Dyson.

Once she reached the garage, she grabbed whatever batons were needed for the long journey ahead. A light jet was definitely a must, along with the light cycle Zed had upgraded. She always kept her light sword with her, just as a precaution. There were many times when she would wander into some gang's territory when she was younger, and having the light sword had saved her life more than once.

With Rinzler riding her shoulder, she turned her baton into a light cycle and headed straight for the garage. She knew that Beck would still be there. He wasn't in any hurry to leave after the way everyone had back lashed the Renegades for what happened to Able. Besides, his friends would need him now more than ever. She couldn't blame him for wanting to stick around and provide what little comfort he could over their loss.

" _Get out of here, you're nothing but trouble_!"

She flinched as those words came rushing back. The program who shouted them had no idea just how right they were. The grip on her handlebars tightened as she got closer to the garage. This was all her fault. None of it would have happened had she never stayed in Argon City. Everything that happened had led to her arrival. And she realized that was part of the problem. She brought nothing but trouble with her wherever she went.

The nanocycle she had reached the garage was when she turned her light cycle back into a baton, and made sure to keep Rinzler hidden before making her way inside. It was eerily quiet as she walked inside. The mechanics inside were trying to perform their normal routines, as if nothing had happened, but Mira could tell they were suffering from lack of leadership. A few others were gathered in small groups while they tried talking about how to handle the future.

She wasn't surprised to find Beck with Mara and Zed. The three of them were whispering to one another, looking as if they were having an argument. Mira chewed the bottom of her lip as she tried to figure out how she would explain why she was here. She already knew the reason, but explaining it was difficult.

It wasn't long before Mara had noticed her standing there. She'd put on the same disguise she had on when they first met. Zed had recognized her as well, and gently nudged Beck until he spotted her. He glanced at his friends anxiously, and, with knowing looks, Mara and Zed let him go.

"Mira, what are you—"

"Before you ask what I'm doing here, I think this is a conversation best had behind closed doors," she interrupted him. "Or outside the garage, whatever you prefer."

Beck looked at her skeptically before following her outside, where programs wouldn't question her motives for being there in the first place. Rinzler jumped onto her shoulder, mewling with recognition as he spotted Beck.

"Okay, what's this about?" Beck asked after realizing something was clearly wrong.

"Look, because I stayed here in Argon, I've put everyone's lives in danger," she began after thinking of how she would explain the reason behind her departure. "I shouldn't have stayed for as long as I did. That's why I've decided to leave."

"What?" Beck's eyes widened in alarm. She couldn't even look at him. "Mira, you can't… it's bad enough I've lost Able and Bodhi… I can't lose you, too."

"Yes, you can," she suddenly snapped, finally making eye contact with the very first program she'd trusted in Argon City. "You're just like every other program. In a few cycles, you'll forget I even existed."

She hadn't meant for that to come out as harshly as it had. But it was too late for regrets. She turned and made a run for it before he could stop her, leaving him there in stunned silence. The pang in her chest was just another reminder that she had gotten too close for comfort. She'd hardly recognized the feelings she had for Beck until that moment.

 _I'm sorry_ , was all she could think as she turned her baton into a light cycle.

The garage was soon long behind her as she headed for the tunnel leading to Purgos. Mira glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her. Tron once said that for some reason, he wasn't capable of tracking her movements, or even read the contents of her disk. Only she could access her memories, and she suspected it had something to do with the fact that she was a User.

Once she had reached the other side of the tunnel, Mira veered to the left and headed straight for the Outlands. In the back of her mind, she had already known that was the only place she could call home, now. She had no other place on the Grid, and no one to turn to.

She pulled to a stop once she reached a familiar cave where she had spent the majority of her cycles before heading into Argon City. Rinzler hopped off her shoulder and sniffed the area curiously, checking out his new surroundings.

Mira let out a sigh as she turned her light cycle back into a baton. This cave was really the only source of comfort she'd had for many cycles, once she had left Quorra. As she crawled through the small entrance, she noticed that little had changed.

The cave itself was oddly spacious, despite the smaller entrance. Marks on the walls and indentations were another reminder of how she had kept track of how long she was stuck out here. Before she had arrived in Purgos where the black guard gave chase, she'd lived out here for at least two xilacycles. She hadn't left the cave much, only to stock up on energy or stretch her legs when she had the chance.

"Well, I suppose this could be our home for the next few cycles," she murmured thoughtfully. Rinzler was sniffing around the floor of the cave, until finding something that caught both his and her interest. "What do you have, there?"

She carefully made her way towards the shiny object that was now covered in dust. Rinzler batted at the object, clearly more interested in the shimmer than the object itself. Her eyes widened in surprise when she finally recognized the object in question.

It was something she had arrived on the Grid with. A necklace that was given to her by her mother. As she cleaned off the locket, which was attached to a thin gold chain, she noticed there were letters inscribed on the back.

' _MB_ ', which she assumed stood for her initials, could be made out.

It had been a long time since she last saw this necklace, or even wore it. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there was more she could do on the sidelines. Mira found herself gazing at the ceiling as she recalled how often modifying code would have been handy.

She suddenly realized that as a User, there were things on the Grid she could do that most programs could only dream of. And modifying code was one of those few things. With enough practice, she could become one of the biggest threats Clu had ever faced. Mira glanced in Rinzler's direction as he lay curled up, not all that happy with his new accommodations.

"Sorry, bud. But this is our new home, for now," she said, her voice soft as she reached for her disk and began to work with modified code.

The first few cycles would truly test her patience after she had made her choice. She hadn't realized how difficult it was to work with modified code, or dangerous, for that matter. She started working outside the cave, in an attempt not to destroy her only home. It was risky, because sometimes there would be sudden failures that resulted in explosions. She didn't use her disk most of the time, but other times, she had no other choice as bits and pieces of data were difficult to come by.

Eventually, Mira was able to work out how to heal broken pieces of data. With that kind of knowledge, she soon began to work on healing injuries. Rinzler often got himself stuck in precarious situations, and she used her knowledge to her advantage. The little kitten would regenerate lost bits of code and act as if nothing had happened nanocycles later.

Mira couldn't help but grin at the thought of what she could do with this kind of knowledge. The more she practiced, the better she got at it. Eventually, after a couple of hilocycles went by, she was able to tap into something completely different. Music was something that programs loved dancing to. And at each and every club she had stopped by, they all played similar music. This, however, was different. There were words to the music, and messages with meaning to them. She closed her eyes as the first words came through, and eventually, found herself lost in the music itself.

Once she had found something she was good at, she kept practicing until she could do it with her eyes closed. That was how she had spent the last few hilocycles. It might not seem like the best way to spend her newfound freedom, but to her, this was only the beginning.

She realized that with skills like these, she had finally found something that could be used against Clu. She found the ability to fight back. And she was going to make Clu regret everything he had ever done to her.

* * *

 **AN: I know it's Friday, but it's been such a long time since my last update that I felt the need to finish this. This chapter... I'm a bit disappointed in the way it turned out, but I wanted to work it out in a way that makes it completely different from the previous last chapter. Rogue's rewrite is going to be totally different, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how readers enjoy the darker take in it. NF's music has been a huge inspiration to this story; In fact, the series's title is going to be called Therapy Session for multiple reasons, along with Crowder, whose new album American Prodigal was just released today :) Anywho, please let me know what you thought of this chapter, I'd really appreciate some feedback!**


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